Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday (May 22) blamed the “previous government” for the increase in terrorism in the country, in an attempt to absolve the current administration of charges about harbouring terrorists.
Dar was briefing the media after his three-day visit to China that came in the aftermath of Pakistan’s military clash with India.
Pakistan, which finds itself isolated on the world stage, was quick to rush to its ‘all-weather ally’ China to gather international support. Islamabad is under pressure to act against terrorists operating on its soil after India’s recent military campaign targeting terror hideouts in the country.
Following India’s Operation Sindoor , the International Monetary Fund (IMF) imposed 11 new conditions on Pakistan for the release of the next tranche of its bailout package, taking the total to 50. The IMF warned Islamabad against stoking tensions with India as it could hurt Pakistan’s fiscal, external, and reform goals.
‘Previous govt responsible for terrorism’
Dar in his briefing said the policies adopted by previous government were responsible for the increase in terrorism, in a veiled criticism of the government of ex-PM Imran Khan. Dar asserted that the current government of PM Shehbaz Sharif was standing strong against terror.
He added that the issue of terrorism was discussed between Pakistan, China and Afghanistan in Beijing.
Dar also assured that Pakistan won’t let terrorists use their land to wage attacks on any country.
Beijing has long expressed concerns over terrorism in Pakistan, which has cast clouds of uncertainly over its multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
The two sides recently decided to extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan and cooperate further for China’s global infrastructure program, the Belt and Road Initiative.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsPakistan now seeks to assure China of its stance against terrorism to secure more investments in its beleaguered economy.
Terrorism on rise in Pakistan
The 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report ranks Pakistan as the second-most terrorism-affected country, up from fourth, according to Geo News. Terrorism-related deaths surged 45 per cent from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024, one of the highest global increases.
Terrorist attacks more than doubled, rising from 517 in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024, exceeding 1,000 incidents for the first time in GTI history, per Geo News.
The GTI report highlighted that Pakistan’s terror problem originated in Afghanistan, as attacks by militants have increased since Taliban gained control of Kabul.
The report said that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was responsible for 52 per cent of all terrorism-related deaths in Pakistan last year.