Islamabad: It seems US President Barack Obama's recent ‘instability' remark on Pakistan during his state of Union address has not gone down well with Islamabad.
Reacting sharply to Obama's comments, Pak's advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz said United States (US) policies were responsible for instability in South Asia and asked the Obama administration to analyse its role – and that of its allies – in the region.
He was speaking during a discussion on an adjournment motion in the Senate over Obama's remark.
"The US created 'holy warriors' in our tribal areas during the 'Afghan Jihad' and then left them as soon as the war was over, a factor which contributed to decades of instability in Pakistan and the region," asserted Aziz.
Talking about "external threats" to the country's stability, Aziz said that since 2013, Pakistan has been pursuing a policy of non-interference and is not taking part in other nations' wars.
"We have decided that we are not going to indulge in fighting other countries' wars now, and this policy is being pursued vigorously by the government," he said.
Aziz said: "Pakistan's answer to instability is the strengthening democracy in the country."
"Pakistan has also taken a strong stance against terrorism. Operation Zarb-i-Azb in tribal areas and the operation against criminals in Karachi have helped improve the internal security situation of the country," he said.
In his last State of the Union address earlier last week, President Obama had said: “Instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world — in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in parts of central America, Africa and Asia.”
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