'Do terrorists live in Pakistan?' asks reporter, Khawaja Asif gives one-word answer

In the aftermath of Pahalgam terror attack, all eyes were on Pakistan as India accused it of harbouring the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), whose local offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF), took responsibility for the massacre.However, Pakistan's defence minister Khawaja Asif in an interview with BBC earlier this month claimed that Islamabad does not currently shelter active terrorists or terrorist outfits, and individuals residing in the country "do not indulge in terror activities, either in Pakistan or across the border in India." Speaking to BBC Pakistan correspondent Azadeh Moshiri, Asif said "no" when asked if terror leaders or groups were active within Pakistan."This is something from our past," Pakistan's defence minister said and invoked the United States' role in arming Afghan mujahideen groups in the 1980s during the Soviet-Afghan war. "The terrorists, which it is claimed are in Pakistan or their terrorist outfits are in Pakistan, they were allies of the US efforts in Afghanistan in the 80s. This thing keeps haunting us. They are all 'dry-cleaned' now, but we are still 'dirty'.They still blame us for people who were their allies," he said.Asif also addressed allegations that terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) continue to fundraise through legitimate businesses in Pakistan. Both Jaish and LeT have been implicated in major terror attacks in India, including the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing and the 2016 Uri base attack, which together claimed the lives of 59 Indian soldiers.He insisted that "these (terrorist) leaders are no more. They are living, not dead, but do not indulge in terror activities, either in Pakistan or across the border in India or in any other country."Last month, speaking to Sky News days after the Pahalgam attack, he said, "We have been doing this dirty work for the US for the past three decades…"India has consistently accused Pakistan of sheltering and supporting terror groups responsible for numerous cross-border attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and beyond, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the 26/11 Mumbai attack. However, Islamabad continues to deny these allegations.