“The world is not stupid, the world is not forgetful” when it comes to recognising Pakistan as the “epicentre” of terrorism, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said. Pakistan, therefore, must clean up its act and take up the global agenda of development instead of terrorism, he said on Thursday at a news conference outside the UN Security Council chamber where he had just wrapped up a special session that heard briefings on counterterrorism.

Responding to a question from a Pakistani TV journalist about how long would it take for terrorism to end in South Asia, Jaishankar responded sharply, “You're asking the wrong minister”! “It is the minister of Pakistan who will tell you how long Pakistan intends to practice terrorism”, he said.

Pakistan can’t confuse anyone any longer because “people have figured it out” that is the “epicentre” of terrorism, he said.

He said, “So my advice is, please clean up your act to be a good neighbour. Please try and contribute to what the rest of the world is trying to do, which is economic growth, development”. 

He added that he hoped to get this message across through the journalist’s TV channel.

Asked about Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah preparing a dossier on what he called India’s involvement in terrorism, Jaishankar said it is ironic he should be making the claim.

It is because about a decade ago when Sanaulah was a minister, Hillary Clinton who was visiting Pakistan warned him about terrorism and said that if you have snakes in your backyard, you can't expect them to bite only your neighbours because eventually, they will bite the people who keep them, Jaishankar said. 

But Pakistan is not good at taking advice, he added.

At the time of the visit by Clinton who was the US secretary of state, Rana was the law minister of the Punjab province.

Jaishankar said that at the end of Thursday’s meeting, the Council adopted a presidential statement that affirmed that any act of terrorism or crime is unjustifiable regardless of the motivation and who committed it.

The statement also stated that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes the most serious threats to international peace and security”, he said.

A presidential statement is adopted by consensus and although it does not have the power of enforcement like a resolution, it carries moral authority.

(SAM)