'Eliminate vile group Jaish-e-Mohammad': US lawmaker tells Pak delegation
Brad Sherman drove his point home further by stating that the terror group was responsible for the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl
A visiting Pakistani delegation in Washington, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, hoping to drum up international support in the wake of India’s Operation Sindoor on terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and mainland Pakistan, instead got told by senior US lawmaker Brad Sherman to eliminate the “vile group” Jaish-e-Mohammad.
‘Pak should do all it can’
During the meeting on Friday (June 6), Sherman drove his point home further by stating that the terror group was responsible for the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl whose family lives in his district.
“I emphasized to the Pakistani delegation the importance of combatting terrorism, and in particular, the group Jaish-e-Mohammed, who murdered my constituent Daniel Pearl in 2002. Pearl’s family continues to live in my district, and Pakistan should do all it can to eliminate this vile group and combat terrorism in the region,” Sherman said in a post on X.
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‘Protect religious minorities’
The US lawmaker also told the Pakistani delegation to ensure the protection of religious minorities in their country so that they can practice their faith and take part in the democratic system without any fear of violence.
Terming the protection of religious minorities in Pakistan an “important issue”, Sherman said, “Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadiyya Muslims living in Pakistan must be allowed to practice their faith and participate in the democratic system without fear of violence, persecution, discrimination, or an unequal justice system.”
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‘Free Shakil Afridi’
He urged the Pakistani delegation to convey to their government the need to free Dr. Shakil Afridi, who was sentenced to 33 years in prison for helping the US forces in neutralising Osama bin Laden.
“I urged the Pakistani delegation to relay to their government the need to free Dr Shakil Afridi, who continues to languish in prison for helping the United States kill Osama Bin Laden. Freeing Dr. Afridi represents an important step in bringing closure for victims of 9/11,” Sherman said.
Afridi, a Pakistani physician, helped the CIA in running a polio vaccination programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to collect DNA samples of bin Laden’s family members.
He was arrested by Pakistani authorities shortly after the American raid on bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad in May 2011. A Pakistani court sentenced him to 33 years in prison.
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Indus water issue
The current situation regarding the water of the Indus river – the Indus Water Treaty, has been suspended by India since the Pahalgam terror attack – also featured during the meeting with the Pakistani delegation.
Sherman said there should not be any “adverse actions” by China against India to restrict water in the region, adding that India should not take any adverse actions against Pakistan to restrict the Indus water.
“Water rights along the Indus River was a major point of discussion during the meeting. China should not take any adverse actions towards India to restrict water in the region. India should not take any adverse actions towards Pakistan to restrict the Indus. Within Pakistan, water flowing through Punjab and Sindh must remain accessible to the millions of Pakistanis who rely on the Indus to survive,” posted Sherman on X.
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The backdrop
The Pakistani delegation’s visit to the US capital coincides with the visit by the multi-party delegation of Indian parliamentarians led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Bhutto also landed in the US at the same time as the Tharoor-led delegation.
Bhutto met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres with his delegation as well as Security Council ambassadors in New York, and later travelled to Washington in Pakistan’s bid to internationalise the conflict with India as well as the Kashmir issue.
The Indian delegation is briefing key interlocutors about Operation Sindoor and India’s stand against terrorism.
(With inputs from agencies)