Pakistani soil not being used against any country, says Dastagir

KARACHI: Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir while responding to the BRICS declaration on Wednesday clearly stated that Pakistani soil is not being used against any country.

During his appearance on Geo News' programme 'Aapas Ki Baat', Dastagir admitted that Pakistan has not been able to tell the world the extent of war it fought on its soil.

He said that following operation 'Zarb-e-Azb', there are no safe havens for terrorists inside Pakistan, while their remnants are being wiped out through intelligence-based operations (IBOs) under the military campaign 'Raddul Fasaad'.

Leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa condemned "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations" at the 9th BRICS Summit in China on Monday. The member states released the Xiamen declaration expressing concern over the security situation in the region.

BRICS leaders condemn 'terrorism in all its manifestations'

For the first time, BRICS name Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad while expressing concern at terrorism

"We strongly condemn terrorist attacks resulting in death to innocent Afghan nationals....We, in this regard, express concern on the security situation in the region and violence caused by the Taliban, ISIL/DAISH, Al Qaida and its affiliates including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, TTP and Hizb ut-Tahrir," said the declaration.

"We deplore all terrorist attacks worldwide, including attacks in BRICS countries, and condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations wherever committed and by whomsoever and stress that there can be no justification whatsoever for any act of terrorism. We reaffirm that those responsible for committing, organising, or supporting terrorist acts must be held accountable," it added further.

Dastagir asserted that there is no place for any armed militia in Pakistan and only the men in uniform can carry arms in the country.

Commenting on China signing the BRICS statement, the minister reiterated that China is an iron friend and all-weather strategic partner of Pakistan, however, it too had some diplomatic limitations while dealing with other BRICS member states.