‘Pakistanis have managed to persuade Americans…’: Shashi Tharoor calls Islamabad ‘old ally’ of Washington DC | Watch

Former Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday stated that Pakistan had successfully convinced the United States that both nations were aligned in fighting terrorism, particularly against groups like ISIS, since these militants target both countries and their institutions, as reported by ANI.

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"Despite many setbacks, after 9/11 and the discovery that Osama Bin Laden was living on their soil, Pakistanis have managed to persuade the Americans that they are still an indispensable ally in counter-terrorism. The terrorists Pakistan breeds to attack us (India) are not the ones attacking America. The ones who are attacking America - ISIS, Daesh - are also attacking the Pakistani establishment and the Pakistani Army. Therefore, for them to go after these people and tell the Americans - see what we are doing for you is a successful strategy," Tharoor told ANI.

“There is a relationship between America and Pakistan, independent of India. However, given the recent context for us, it looks very bad in India,” Tharoor told ANI.

The Congress MP emphasised that the relationship between the US and Pakistan intensified during efforts to “push out” the Soviet Union from Afghanistan. He stated that Pakistan was a member of both the CENTO (Central Treaty Organisation) and SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation), which were military alliances sponsored by the US.

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“We have been shaken by this. We have allowed ourselves to forget that Pakistan is an old ally of the US. Pakistan was a member of both CENTO and SEATO. The US was closer to Pakistan, militarily and strategically, earlier. The cooperation got intensified further when the Soviet Union marched into Afghanistan, and Pakistan became the base for American orchestration of the whole Mujahideen efforts to push out the Soviets from there,” Tharoor said.

He was responding to a question about Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir being invited to Washington twice in recent times.

"ISI was set up with American guidance and cooperation. We have had 30 years of warmth between India and America, but old history should not be forgotten. There are still many Pakistani military officers who were trained in America. A number of Pakistan Intelligence operatives have worked and been trained by the Americans. These relationships have been long and deep," Tharoor added.

ISI

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, was established in 1948 during the country's first war with India over Kashmir. Its primary goal was to coordinate intelligence functions across the army, air force, and navy.

In the 1950s, as Pakistan joined Western-led anti-communist alliances, the ISI and the military benefited from significant training and equipment support from the West. During this period, the ISI's main focus remained on India, according to a BBC report.

However, after General Ayub Khan staged Pakistan's first successful military coup in 1958 and took control, the ISI's role expanded into domestic political surveillance and manipulation, entrenching its influence within the country’s internal affairs.

In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha in March 2015, the Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that Pakistan's ISI has been aiding terror activities in India. Then Minister of State for Home Affairs, Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, stated that interrogations of arrested terrorists revealed ISI's involvement in providing shelter, training, patronage, and financial support to various terrorist groups.

(With inputs from ANI)