US behind chaos in region: Pakistan

Pakistan blames US for ‘decades of instability in region’

A senior aide to the Pakistani premier has blamed the US for “decades of instability” in the region, saying Washington’s foreign policies are behind the rise of militant groups, particularly Daesh.

At a Senate meeting in Islamabad on Monday, adviser to Pakistani PM on national security and foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz said Daesh, mainly active in Iraq and Syria, is a byproduct of Washington’s long-running agenda in the region.

It was the US that created the militant groups operating in Pakistan’s tribal areas in 1980s and left them there after the ex-Soviet Union’s war in neighboring Afghanistan ended, he stated.

This “contributed to decades of instability in Pakistan and the region,” stressed the Pakistani official.

He said Washington is repeating the same policies in the region, setting the stage for the emergence of Daesh in the Middle East.

The comments come in response to US President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address last week, in which he blamed the policies of some governments, including Pakistan, for instability in the region.

“Instability will continue for decades in many parts of the world — in the Middle East, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in parts of central America, Africa and Asia,” Obama said.

Aziz, however, said the “concerns shown by US President Barack Obama were in contradiction with the realities on ground.”

Obama’s prediction will not come true if Pakistan continues to stand firm against internal and external threats, he said.