U.S. lawmakers want Pakistan designated as a terrorist state

WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Two U.S. lawmakers have introduced legislation to Congress to designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism, a humiliating setback from Islamabad as Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s speech before the UN General Assembly is just moments away.

The bill, H.R 6069 or the Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act, enjoins the U.S. administration to make a formal call on the matter within four months of its passage.

President Barack Obama will now be required to provide a report within 90 days detailing whether or not Pakistan has provided support for international terrorism. Thirty days after that, the Secretary of State will have to issue a follow-up report containing either a determination that Pakistan is state sponsor of terrorism or a detailed justification as to why Pakistan does not meet the legal criteria for designation.

The bill was moved by Congressman Ted Poe of Texas, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, and Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of California, who is a strong votary of the Baloch cause.

”Not only is Pakistan an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the United States for years. From harboring Osama bin Laden to its cozy relationship with the Haqqani network, there is more than enough evidence to determine whose side Pakistan is on in the War on Terror. And it’s not America’s,” Poe said in a statement on Tuesday announcing the bill.

The bill is symbolic in many ways, but perhaps greatest in the fact that the current Congress is now in its final days, and only a small fraction of the thousands of bill become law in any case.

”It is time we stop paying Pakistan for its betrayal and designate it for what it is: a state sponsor of terrorism.” Congressman Poe said.

In a separate statement ahead of the bill, Poe condemned the terrorist attack on the Uri military camp in India, saying this is just the ”latest consequence of Pakistan’s longstanding irresponsible policy of supporting and providing operational space for all stripes of jihadi terrorist groups.”

“Pakistan’s reckless behavior in this regard is a serious security risk to its neighbors – and India unfortunately pays the price all too often. We condemn this tragic attack, as well as Pakistan’s support for many criminals like the ones who carried it out, and stand firm in our commitment to our friends in India,” Poe said.

This is the first time in many years that there is talk of formally designating Pakistan a terrorist state. Such a measure was last discussed in 1993 after Pakistan engineered the Mumbai serial blasts through Dawood Ibrahim, killing 259 people in a terrorist attack that was a precursor to many such attacks across the world, including in New York, London, and Madrid.