Pakistani Senator Sherry Rehman admitted to the ‘terrorist past’ of her country during a recent interview — while dodging questions about the al-Qaeda-linked Brigade 313 group and the recent Pahalgam terror attack. The interaction with journalist Yalda Hakim has since gone viral on social media platforms with many criticising the politician for her “evasive, defensive” responses. The interview also came weeks after Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Hakim on air that his country had ‘supported terrorist groups for three decades’.
“You keep on talking about the past because it was…We are fighting terrorism. Pakistan is a changed country now,” Rehman insisted during a recent interview with the Sky News journalist.
The PPP leader also evaded questions about the al-Qaeda-linked Brigade 313 during the interview — suggesting that anyone could put together a ‘digital dossier’. Hakim cited inputs from the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium during the interview to claim that the Pakistan-based terror outfit was leading a slew of attacks in Kashmir. The scribe added that Brigade 313 was tied to al-Qaeda with members from groups such as the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami.
“Brigade 313 is al-Qaeda in Pakistan. They are the leaders of a massive terrorist organisation that focuses on attacks in Kashmir…it’s a hub for terrorism,” Hakim alleged while citing TRAC.
She also asked the Senator whether Islamabad should be held responsible for repeated attacks against India — including those linked to this group. The query prompted a rather garbled response from the lawmaker and vehement insistence that Pakistan was a “changed country”.
“I don’t know who told you this, but I can produce any number of pages saying all this. Perhaps we should also produce a fact sheet and more than a fact sheet…a digital dossier. Am I going to war every time there is an attack in India? There are 100 insurgencies running in India. Are we responsible for what goes on there? That’s what this amounts to…and how does this link to terrorist attack in Kashmir?” Rehman can be heard countering.
The remarks came weeks after fellow Pakistani leader Khwaja M Asif admitted to doing “dirty work” for the US and the West for multiple decades. The country’s Defence Minister made the startling admission on air during an interview with Hakim last month — when asked if Islamabad has a history of funding and backing terror groups.
“We have been doing this dirty work for the US for the past three decades, including the West and the United Kingdom,” he had told Sky News.
What is Brigade 313?
Brigade 313 was formed in the early 2000s and led by Pakistani Army-trained fighter and al-Qaeda commander Ilyas Kashmiri. The name is believed to have come from the 313 people who fought alongside Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Badr. The group is a hybrid coalition with members from several prominent terror groups which operated under the al-Qaeda umbrella and collaborated with Taliban factions within Pakistan.