WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — An influential U.S. lawmaker this week urged the Trump administration to make a final decision on whether Pakistan should be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism, adding that its army and ISI have been supporting terrorist organizations.
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), who serves on the House subcommittee on crime, terrorism and homeland security, last week introduced the Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Act (HR 1449) in the House of Representatives, and said the White House needs to pick a side of the bill to be on.
“All I am asking for in this legislation is a review of Pakistan. Let’s get all the evidence before the government of the U.S. and let the U.S. government make that determination (if Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism),” Poe said. Poe, who served as a judge before his arrival in Congress, said it’s very important for the White House to consider all of the evidence involved.
“The evidence that I have seen, just some of the evidence that I have presented to you calls for a review of Pakistan’s position on issue of terrorism. Are they state sponsor of terrorism or they are not? This is what this legislation does,” he said.
The lawmaker referred to the presence of al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan, the statements by several top U.S. officials including Admiral Mike Mullen, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to support his claims. The resolution would require Pakistan to issue a report within 90 days outlining whether the nation has provided support for international terrorism.
“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. It is time we stop paying Pakistan for its betrayal and designate it for what it is: a state sponsor of terrorism,” Poe said.
Poe said if the administration does not want to designate Pakistan as a sponsor of terrorism, there has to be a “legal justification” as to why it does not meet the legal criteria for such a designation.
“The bill does not designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism, it requires the President and the State Department to make that determination,” he said. The congressman alleged that Pakistan takes money from the United States but they seem to support.
“Perfect example is Osama bin Laden. ISI was hiding him out… It is difficult to believe that Pakistan, particularly the ISI did not know that ISI was there,” he said. “Pakistan fosters relationship with terrorist groups as a way to leverage over its rivals in India and Afghanistan,” he added.
