A top Republican lawmaker has urged the Trump administration to immediately designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism and terminate its non-NATO ally status, asserting that Islamabad consistently defends Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and condemns US' counterterrorism efforts.

Congressman Ted Poe said in the House of Representatives that Pakistan will not receive any financial support from the US if terrorists continue to live safely in the country.

"Now is the day of reckoning. All assistance to Pakistan must end, its Major non-NATO ally status must be terminated, and the State Department should immediately designate it as a state sponsor of terrorism," Poe said last week, according to Congressional records.

In his remarks, the Republican Congressman from Texas slammed Pakistan's Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi for what he described as lecturing the US on aid.

"While I do not oppose open engagement with Pakistan, our position must be clear: Pakistan will not receive a dime of US support if terrorists continue to live safely on their soil," he said.

"For too long the opposite has been the case. Fortunately, President Donald Trump has disrupted the status quo and suspended most of the funding we give to Pakistan, specifically calling them out for their support to terrorism. But more should be done," he said.

Poe said if Qureshi was truly interested in restoring the relationship between the two countries, he would accept responsibility and acknowledge that countless terrorists still live inside Pakistan.

"His country has been the epicenter for extremism for decades, where extremists are still able to hold massive public rallies to incite young men to violence. This isn't conjecture, the evidence is well documented," he asserted.

Poe said Mumbai terror attack mastermind and the founder of the US and UN-designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba Hafiz Saeed operated freely in Pakistan.

Despite his role in the 2008 Mumbai attack, Saeed leads public rallies and can raise money for extremists causes, he said.

"Yet, Pakistan, including its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consistently defends Saeed and condemns US counterterrorism efforts," Poe said.

He said Qureshi even claimed terrorist groups that target Pakistan had safe haven in Afghanistan under the US' watch.

"Yet it is Pakistani officials who somehow claim there is a 'good' Taliban, while the US makes no distinction," he said.

"If the Foreign Minister wanted to earn our trust, his government could demonstrate good faith by taking action. This includes handing over Saeed, the leaders of the

Taliban and Haqqani Network, and banning all extremist groups on its soil. But this is a fantasy," Poe said.

The relations between Pakistan and the US nosedived this January after President Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to Washington but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists.

The US Congress also passed a bill to slash Pakistan's defence aid to $ 150 million, significantly below the historic level of more than $ one billion per year.

The Trump administration had announced early this year that it was suspending security assistance to Pakistan over differences on Afghanistan.&nbsp; 
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A top Republican lawmaker has urged the Trump administration to immediately designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism and terminate its non-NATO ally status, asserting that Islamabad consistently defends Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and condemns US' counterterrorism efforts.

A top Republican lawmaker has urged the Trump administration to immediately designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism and terminate its non-NATO ally status, asserting that Islamabad consistently defends Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and condemns US' counterterrorism efforts. Congressman Ted Poe said in the House of Representatives that Pakistan will not receive any financial support from the US if terrorists continue to live safely in the country. "Now is the day of reckoning. All assistance to Pakistan must end, its Major non-NATO ally status must be terminated, and the State Department should immediately designate it as a state sponsor of terrorism," Poe said last week, according to Congressional records. In his remarks, the Republican Congressman from Texas slammed Pakistan's Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi for what he described as lecturing the US on aid. "While I do not oppose open engagement with Pakistan, our position must be clear: Pakistan will not receive a dime of US support if terrorists continue to live safely on their soil," he said. "For too long the opposite has been the case. Fortunately, President Donald Trump has disrupted the status quo and suspended most of the funding we give to Pakistan, specifically calling them out for their support to terrorism. But more should be done," he said. Poe said if Qureshi was truly interested in restoring the relationship between the two countries, he would accept responsibility and acknowledge that countless terrorists still live inside Pakistan. "His country has been the epicenter for extremism for decades, where extremists are still able to hold massive public rallies to incite young men to violence. This isn't conjecture, the evidence is well documented," he asserted. Poe said Mumbai terror attack mastermind and the founder of the US and UN-designated terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba Hafiz Saeed operated freely in Pakistan. Despite his role in the 2008 Mumbai attack, Saeed leads public rallies and can raise money for extremists causes, he said. "Yet, Pakistan, including its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consistently defends Saeed and condemns US counterterrorism efforts," Poe said. He said Qureshi even claimed terrorist groups that target Pakistan had safe haven in Afghanistan under the US' watch. "Yet it is Pakistani officials who somehow claim there is a 'good' Taliban, while the US makes no distinction," he said. "If the Foreign Minister wanted to earn our trust, his government could demonstrate good faith by taking action. This includes handing over Saeed, the leaders of the Taliban and Haqqani Network, and banning all extremist groups on its soil. But this is a fantasy," Poe said. The relations between Pakistan and the US nosedived this January after President Trump accused Islamabad of giving nothing to Washington but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists. The US Congress also passed a bill to slash Pakistan's defence aid to $ 150 million, significantly below the historic level of more than $ one billion per year. The Trump administration had announced early this year that it was suspending security assistance to Pakistan over differences on Afghanistan.

US Congressman seeks immediate designation of Pakistan as state sponsor of terrorism

Making a strong anti-terror pitch at the NAM Summit in Venezuela, India today asserted that &quot;concrete action&quot; was needed in the fight against terrorism. 
 
India urged the 120-nation group to set up a mechanism to ensure effective cooperation in combating the menace. 
 
Vice-President Hamid Ansari is leading the Indian delegation at the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
 
In his address to the plenary meeting of the bloc, Ansari said, &quot;The time has come for our movement to recognise the need for concrete action in the fight against terrorism.&quot; 
 
Ansari described terrorism as the &quot;biggest threat&quot; to international peace and to the sovereignty of states. 
 
&quot;We need to establish a mechanism within our movement that will ensure effective cooperation in combating terrorism, that is the main threat to security, sovereignty and development,&quot; he said. 
 
He said terrorism is one of the &quot;most egregious sources of human right violations today&quot; and its use as an instrument of state policy is to be unequivocally condemned. 
 
India has raised the issue of Pakistan&#39;s support to cross-border terrrorism at several international forums.&nbsp; 
 
Ansari asserted that no cause justifies the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians as a means to achieve a political goal or change of policies. 
 
Prime Minister Modi had made clear references to Pakistan&#39;s support to terrorism without naming it at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, at a BRICS meeting in Hangzhou and at the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Lao PDR. 
 
Ansari stated that terrorism has become a major impediment to development. 
 
&quot;It is therefore imperative for the Non-Aligned Movement to galvanise the international community to strengthen the international legal framework to address this menace, including by adopting the draft Comprehensive UN Convention on Terrorism, to ensure the closest cooperation amongst the international community to counter the scourge of terror.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We must also ensure that all existing structures that are the building blocks of UN&#39;s Global Counter Terrorism Strategy function in a non-partisan and professional manner,&quot; Ansari said. 
 
India had earlier called on NAM to set up a &quot;working group on terrorism&quot; to safeguard world peace, stability and prosperity. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
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India has raised its concerns at various international fora over Pakistan's support to cross-border terrorism

Making a strong anti-terror pitch at the NAM Summit in Venezuela, India today asserted that "concrete action" was needed in the fight against terrorism. India urged the 120-nation group to set up a mechanism to ensure effective cooperation in combating the menace. Vice-President Hamid Ansari is leading the Indian delegation at the 17th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his address to the plenary meeting of the bloc, Ansari said, "The time has come for our movement to recognise the need for concrete action in the fight against terrorism." Ansari described terrorism as the "biggest threat" to international peace and to the sovereignty of states. "We need to establish a mechanism within our movement that will ensure effective cooperation in combating terrorism, that is the main threat to security, sovereignty and development," he said. He said terrorism is one of the "most egregious sources of human right violations today" and its use as an instrument of state policy is to be unequivocally condemned. India has raised the issue of Pakistan's support to cross-border terrrorism at several international forums. Ansari asserted that no cause justifies the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians as a means to achieve a political goal or change of policies. Prime Minister Modi had made clear references to Pakistan's support to terrorism without naming it at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, at a BRICS meeting in Hangzhou and at the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Lao PDR. Ansari stated that terrorism has become a major impediment to development. "It is therefore imperative for the Non-Aligned Movement to galvanise the international community to strengthen the international legal framework to address this menace, including by adopting the draft Comprehensive UN Convention on Terrorism, to ensure the closest cooperation amongst the international community to counter the scourge of terror." "We must also ensure that all existing structures that are the building blocks of UN's Global Counter Terrorism Strategy function in a non-partisan and professional manner," Ansari said. India had earlier called on NAM to set up a "working group on terrorism" to safeguard world peace, stability and prosperity. (WION with inputs from agencies)

NAM summit: India makes strong anti-terror pitch, seeks action against state sponsors of terror

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US Congressman seeks immediate designation of Pakistan as state sponsor of terrorism

NAM summit: India makes strong anti-terror pitch, seeks action against state sponsors of terror