In a scorching irony, Washington has praised Pakistan for its “continued success” in containing terrorist groups, even though the country has a long history of supporting militancy and has been in FATF grey list.
Against the backdrop of shifting US–India ties following President Donald Trump’s tariff decision, Washington has praised Pakistan for its “continued success” in containing terrorist groups that threaten regional and global security.
“The United States applauded Pakistan’s continued successes to contain terrorist entities that pose a threat to the peace and security of the region and the world,” read a joint statement issued after counterterrorism talks in Islamabad.
In a scroaching irony, Pakistan itself has a long history of supporting terrorist groups and was removed from the FATF grey list in October 2022 after multiple stints under heightened monitoring since 2008.
The latest round of discussions, held on Tuesday, focused on strategies to counter threats from groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), ISIS-Khorasan, and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The US also expressed condolences over recent attacks, including the Jaffar Express bombing and the school bus blast in Khuzdar.
The talks came a day after Washington formally designated the BLA and its faction, the Majeed Brigade, as foreign terrorist organisations. The BLA, which has long waged an insurgency for Balochistan’s independence, was first sanctioned by the US in 2019. “Since 2019, BLA has claimed responsibility for additional attacks, including by the Majeed Brigade,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
The development coincided with Pakistan’s army chief Gen Asim Munir’s second visit to the US in less than two months. Arriving in Washington on Sunday, Munir held high-level meetings with senior political and military leaders and engaged with the Pakistani diaspora.
Pak’s long history of supporting terror and FATF list
Pakistan has a long history of supporting terrorist groups. On multiple occasions, it has faced international scrutiny and sanctions. It was removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in October 2022 after years of heightened monitoring, having been placed on the list several times since 2008, most recently in 2018.
Pahalgam attack by Pak-backed terrorists
The praise from Trump’s US comes despite Pakistan’s long-standing policy of using terrorism as a tool of foreign policy. Recently, Pakistan-backed and trained terrorists killed 26 innocent people in Pahalgam, triggering a sharp escalation in tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror camps and militant hideouts across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).