Despite evidence on Islamabad's terror links, US general praises Pakistan's 'counterterrorism' role

Despite mounting evidence of Pakistan's support of terrorism, specially after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, a US general has chosen to praise Islamabad over what he claims as “counterterrorism.” The Commander of the United States Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, described Pakistan as a "phenomenal partner in the counterterrorism world", highlighting Islamabad's role in operations against ISIS-Khorasan, but not mentioning anything about Pakistan's safe haven to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). This statement by Kurilla during congressional testimony, comes days after India's Operation Sindoor delegations travelled across 32 countries exposing Pakistan's links to terror outfits and Islamabad's support to terrorism.

What General Michael Kurilla said?

Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee, General Kurilla advocated for maintaining strategic ties with both India and Pakistan. ON Pakistan, he added, “They are in an active counterterrorism fight right now, and they have been a phenomenal partner in the counterterrorism world.” "We need to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India. I do not believe it is a binary switch that we can't have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India," he said. "We should look at the merits of the relationship for the positives that it has."

General Kurilla also said that Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir undertook "dozens of operations" along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to target ISIS-K fighters. Noting that ISIS-K operates from Afghanistan and is one of the most active terrorist groups attempting attacks worldwide, he added, “Through a phenomenal partnership with Pakistan, they have gone after ISIS-Khorasan, killing dozens of them. Through a relationship we have with them, [and] providing intelligence, they have captured at least five ISIS-Khorasan high-value individuals.”

India's EAM Jaishankar reminds the West about Osama Bin Laden

Meanwhile, India's External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, during a visit to Brussels, reaffirmed India's zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. He reminded the international community that terrorist Osama Bin Laden was given a safe haven in a Pakistani military town. Speaking to European news website Euractiv, EAM Jaishankar said, “Let me remind you of something - there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point?... I want the world to understand - this isn't merely an India-Pakistan issue. It's about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you.”

India exposes Pak-based terror

Despite the statement by General Kurilla, Indian delegations around the world exposed Pakistan reminding the world about incidents where Islamabad openly backed terror groups. India also refuted US President Donald Trump's mediation claims over the Indo-Pak ceasefire understanding. The delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor met US Vice President JD Vance and said that the meeting was a “good one.” and Vance understood the Indian position on mediation claims. India has clearly stated that mediation implies equivalence between the two parties. And there can be no equivalence between Pakistan, which is an incubator of terrorism, and India, a victim of terror. New Delhi has also urged the West to see India's action against Pakistan not as a border conflict but as a war on terrorism.