Mir Yar Baloch, a leading Baloch human rights defender, yesterday urged the US President Donald Trump’s administration and its investigative agencies to thoroughly reassess Pakistan’s role in global security and consider placing the country at the top of the terror list due to its track record. Citing numerous reports and expert analysis, he stated that elements within Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and military establishment have served as central hubs for various extremist networks.

The discovery of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, mere yards from Pakistani military and intelligence facilities, has raised profound questions. Mir added that statements by former President and Army Chief Pervez Musharraf, who praised Hafiz Saeed and Osama bin Laden, saying that these people are the heroes of Pakistan, have further intensified international concerns. Mir further highlighted former ISI Director Asad Durrani’s statement to an international media outlet that Pakistan had fooled the United States during its cooperation in Afghanistan, receiving billions in aid while simultaneously maintaining contacts with the militant groups in Afghanistan. Mir stressed that US national-security institutions must incorporate these concerns into future counterterrorism and geopolitical strategy.