Congressional Statements

State Dept. report on Pakistani link to terrorist groups demands increased action and vigilance

Pallone Press Release
May 3, 2000

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., D-NJ, said today that he welcomed the fact that a clear link between Pakistan and official support for terrorism has been established in the U.S. State Department's annual report on terrorism worldwide. But Pallone stressed that the Administration must be prepared to follow through with the threat of declaring Islamabad a state sponsor of terrorism.

Pallone plans to cite the findings about Pakistani involvement in terrorist activities contained in the State Department's Patterns of Global Terrorism, 1999 Report, in a speech to the House of Representatives this week.

"One of the most dramatic findings of the report is that Pakistan, traditionally an ally of the United States, is guilty of providing safe haven and support to international terrorist groups," Pallone said.

"Unfortunately, the State Department stopped short of adding Pakistan to the list of seven nations that are described as state sponsors of terrorism."

"At the beginning of this year, I introduced legislation calling on the State Department to declare Pakistan a terrorist state. I believe that the information made public this week gives added urgency to that effort.

"We can only hope that reason will prevail in Islamabad, and that the Pakistani Government will see that the result of its present course will be increased isolation from the world community. If not, then we must be prepared to follow through and declare Pakistan a state sponsor terrorism, with all of the stigma and isolation that goes with such a declaration."

Pallone drew particular attention to a warning made this week by Ambassador Michael Sheehan, the State Department's Coordinator for Counter-terrorism, that "for state sponsorship or the designation of foreign terrorist organizations, you can do it any time of the year."

The Congressman also cited two of the key provisions of U.S. counter-terrorism policy, to isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor terrorism to force them to change their behavior, and to bolster the counter-terrorism capabilities of those countries that work with the U.S. and require assistance.

"President Clinton, during his recent trip to South Asia, tried to appeal to the Pakistani military junta to cease support for terrorist organizations and activities," Pallone said. "The pressure on Pakistan must be maintained and strengthened. Pakistani leaders should be reminded that the threat that their country could be designated as a terrorist state is a real one that could be invoked at any time.

"India has been the prime victim of terrorism emanating from or supported by Pakistan. Thus, in keeping with the State Department's stated policy, we should strive to work much more closely with India, a democracy, on counter-terrorism efforts."

Pallone cited in particular the section of the State Department's report dealing with South Asia, which states that, "In 1999, the locus of terrorism directed against the United States continued to shift from the Middle East to South Asia." The report goes on to cite the Taliban, which controls significant areas of Afghanistan, for providing safe haven for international terrorists, particularly Usama Bin Ladin and his network. As the report points out, "Pakistan is one of only three countries that maintains formal diplomatic relations with -- and one of several that supported -- Afghanistan's Taliban."

The report goes on to state: "The United States made repeated requests to Islamabad to end support for elements harboring and training terrorists in Afghanistan and urged the Government of Pakistan to close certain Pakistani religious schools that serve as conduits for terrorism. Credible reports also continued to indicate official Pakistani support [emphasis added] for Kashmiri militant groups, such as the Harakat ul-Mujahedin (HUM), that engaged in terrorism."

Pallone noted that this organization has been linked to the hijacking late last year of the Air India flight, and one of the hijackers' demands was the a leader of the HUM be freed from prison in India in exchange for the innocent hostages on the aircraft. That leader has since returned to Pakistan, according to the State Department. He also noted that this organization, the HUM under a previous name, has been linked to the kidnapping of Western tourists in Kashmir. Two of those Westerners have been murdered, and several others, including an American, remain unaccounted for.

The State Department report also states that, "Kashmiri extremist groups continued to operate in Pakistan, raising funds and recruiting new cadre." It blames these groups for numerous terrorist attacks against civilian targets in India's State of Jammu and Kashmir, an issue that Pallone has been raising for several years.

The Patterns of Global Terrorism report also cites violent incidents targeted at the United States. Last November, after the United Nations authorized sanctions against the Taliban, terrorists launched a coordinated rocket attack against the U.S. Embassy, the American Center, and possibly UN offices in Islamabad. Thankfully there were no fatalities, but a guard was injured and the U.S. facilities sustained damage. After last summer's U.S. diplomatic intervention to end Pakistan's incursion onto India's side of the Line of Control in Kashmir, Pakistani and Kashmiri extremist groups worked to stir up anti-American sentiment.