WASHINGTON: The Federal Interior Minister has said that the Sunni militant group ‘Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)’ has no existence in South Asia as it has its roots in the Middle East and North Africa.
“I can say with a lot of confidence, ISIS is totally a Middle Eastern phenomenon and has no presence in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is only a media hype,” Nisar said while speaking at the US Institute of Peace in Washington.
“The space occupied by the Taliban and TTP will not be made available to ISIS. They have their own agenda and they are not going to share it with ISIS,” he added.
The interior minister further said that Pakistan is determined to fight terrorism but cautioned the international community not to repeat the past mistake of abandoning the region as it did in 1990s.
The minister said that the Pakistani political and military leadership is united like never before in counterterrorism efforts.
Nisar said that the country is pursuing a comprehensive national action plan to wipe out the menace of terrorism as well as the militant mindset.
