New York - The US shares the responsibility for the rise of jihad in South Asia, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said, adding that Islamabad’s cooperation in America’s proxy war against the Soviet Union is what brought upon the current turmoil in his country.

During an interaction at the Asia Society, Asif accused America of using Pakistan for its strategic objectives and then discarding it. “Pakistan has stood very firmly with the US in the Soviet war which was a wrong decision. It was a proxy war. We were used and discarded,” he said, refusing to accept the entire blame for the rise of terrorism in the region. “It is a collective sin or mistake that we made. You should not have left the way you did after the end of the Cold War,” he said, adding “we have made mistakes.”

The minister said President Donald Trump’s new policy towards the region, in which he blamed Pakistan for terrorism “wasn’t surprising but disappointing.”

Asif said some statements made by Mr Trump were ‘blatant lies’. “…no billions of dollars have been dished out to us,” he said. “It was money which was reimbursed for the services we rendered to the USA and its allies,” he said, referring to the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) that America gives to Pakistan for the Afghan war.

He said the current jihadis in his country were all nurtured by America during the war against the Soviets. “Don’t blame us for the Haqqanis or the Hafiz Saeeds. These were people who were your darlings just 20 to 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House and now you say go to hell Pakistanis because you are nurturing these people.” When the moderator suggested that they talk about the future and not the past, Asif shot back: “You cannot divorce history just to move forward. They [the militants] are a liability and it will take time for Pakistan to work its way through that. Saeed, LeT, they are a liability, I accept it, but give us time to get rid of them, we don’t have the assets to deal with these liabilities.”

According to him, American actions were reducing Pakistan’s ability to deal with terrorism.

Asif said before Pakistan joined the war against the Soviet Union, it was a liberal country where people of all faiths and sects could live together. “Sunnis, Shias, Christians, Hindus… all could live together. They were all Pakistanis. Now people change their names ..(to protect their identity) This is a tragedy…Please don’t blame us for the tragedy that we are in...Share this agony and anguish with us,” he said.

He said it was to suit the American interests in the region that Pakistan turned into promotion of jihad. “.. what we did to justify the jihad in 1980, we reversed everything...Because that suited then our friends, the Americans. In that process our ethos was destroyed and the whole generation of my country is paying a very heavy price.”

He said Pakistan is ready to work with the United States for effective management of the Afghan border to stop terrorist infiltration and to facilitate a peace settlement in Afghanistan.

Asif further stressed that there was no military solution to the festering conflict in Afghanistan. “Scapegoating Pakistan for all the Afghan ills is neither fair nor accurate,” Asif said. “This will only help forces that we are trying to fight collectively,” he remarked.

Pakistan, he said, had in the past done all it could to facilitate a political settlement in Afghanistan, making sure that Pakistani soil was not used against any country.

In his opening remarks, Asif also covered Pakistan’s relations with India, the Kashmir dispute, counter-terrorism measures and the country’s economic progress.

Asif said Pakistan has a “larger stake” in seeing the return of peace and stability in Afghanistan than any other country, having suffered grievously from the conflict and instability across the border.

“We are mindful of the strong desire in the US to bring the ‘long war’ in Afghanistan to an end,” the minister said. “We support this objective wholeheartedly and are ready to help in any way we can to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he offered.

He, however, made it clear that there were obviously clear limits to what Pakistan could do. “We cannot take responsibility for Afghanistan’s peace and security and be asked to achieve what the combined strength of some of the most powerful and richest countries could not accomplish,” he told the audience.

“Effective border management, frankly, is the key,” the minister said, adding: “More needs to be done on the Afghan side of the border where terrorist elements are finding easy safe havens.”

“We are keen to work with the US in effectively managing the Afghan border and in facilitating a peace process to the extent we can.”

He went on to say: “The emergence of new threats, including Daesh demands ever greater coordination and stronger partnerships between like-minded countries to put up a united front to counter these dark forces of exclusion and extremism.”

Asif claimed that a proposal was made to swap Indian spy-terrorist Kulbhushan Jadhav for a jailed terrorist in Afghanistan, who was responsible for the horrific 2014 Peshawar school attack. “The terrorist who killed children in APS (Army Public School) in Peshawar is in Afghan custody. The National Security Adviser (NSA) told me that we can exchange that terrorist with the terrorist you have, which is Kulbhushan Jadhav,” Asif told the audience. The minister made this claim in response to a question during his appearance at the Asia Society.

Pakistan was ready to work with India to seek peaceful resolution of all disputes and to create an environment of peace and stability allowing the people of the two countries to realize their aspirations of prosperity and development, the minister said

Asif said Nawaz Sharif paid a political price for peace efforts with India and was termed ‘Modi’s friend’ and ‘traitor’.

“Nawaz Sharif staked his political career in achieving or stabilising our relations with India. I won’t say that it can be pleasant or lovey dovey relationship overnight but stabilising the relations,” he said. “He was called Modi’s friend and traitor by our political opponents in Pakistan,” said Asif.

He said the current jihadis in his country were all nurtured by America during the war against the Soviets. “Don’t blame us for the Haqqanis or the Hafiz Saeeds. These were people who were your darlings just 20 to 30 years back. They were being dined and wined in the White House and now you say go to hell Pakistanis because you are nurturing these people.” When the moderator suggested that they talk about the future and not the past, Asif shot back: “You cannot divorce history just to move forward. They [the militants] are a liability and it will take time for Pakistan to work its way through that. Saeed, LeT, they are a liability, I accept it, but give us time to get rid of them, we don’t have the assets to deal with these liabilities.”

According to him, American actions were reducing Pakistan’s ability to deal with terrorism.

Asif said before Pakistan joined the war against the Soviet Union, it was a liberal country where people of all faiths and sects could live together. “Sunnis, Shias, Christians, Hindus… all could live together. They were all Pakistanis. Now people change their names ..(to protect their identity) This is a tragedy…Please don’t blame us for the tragedy that we are in...Share this agony and anguish with us,” he said.

He said it was to suit the American interests in the region that Pakistan turned into promotion of jihad. “.. what we did to justify the jihad in 1980, we reversed everything...Because that suited then our friends, the Americans. In that process our ethos was destroyed and the whole generation of my country is paying a very heavy price.”

He said Pakistan is ready to work with the United States for effective management of the Afghan border to stop terrorist infiltration and to facilitate a peace settlement in Afghanistan.

Asif further stressed that there was no military solution to the festering conflict in Afghanistan. “Scapegoating Pakistan for all the Afghan ills is neither fair nor accurate,” Asif said. “This will only help forces that we are trying to fight collectively,” he remarked.

Pakistan, he said, had in the past done all it could to facilitate a political settlement in Afghanistan, making sure that Pakistani soil was not used against any country.

In his opening remarks, Asif also covered Pakistan’s relations with India, the Kashmir dispute, counter-terrorism measures and the country’s economic progress.

Asif said Pakistan has a “larger stake” in seeing the return of peace and stability in Afghanistan than any other country, having suffered grievously from the conflict and instability across the border.

“We are mindful of the strong desire in the US to bring the ‘long war’ in Afghanistan to an end,” the minister said. “We support this objective wholeheartedly and are ready to help in any way we can to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he offered.

He, however, made it clear that there were obviously clear limits to what Pakistan could do. “We cannot take responsibility for Afghanistan’s peace and security and be asked to achieve what the combined strength of some of the most powerful and richest countries could not accomplish,” he told the audience.

“Effective border management, frankly, is the key,” the minister said, adding: “More needs to be done on the Afghan side of the border where terrorist elements are finding easy safe havens.”

“We are keen to work with the US in effectively managing the Afghan border and in facilitating a peace process to the extent we can.”He went on to say: “The emergence of new threats, including Daesh demands ever greater coordination and stronger partnerships between like-minded countries to put up a united front to counter these dark forces of exclusion and extremism.”

Asif claimed that a proposal was made to swap Indian spy-terrorist Kulbhushan Jadhav for a jailed terrorist in Afghanistan, who was responsible for the horrific 2014 Peshawar school attack. “The terrorist who killed children in APS (Army Public School) in Peshawar is in Afghan custody. The National Security Adviser (NSA) told me that we can exchange that terrorist with the terrorist you have, which is Kulbhushan Jadhav,” Asif told the audience. The minister made this claim in response to a question during his appearance at the Asia Society.

Pakistan was ready to work with India to seek peaceful resolution of all disputes and to create an environment of peace and stability allowing the people of the two countries to realize their aspirations of prosperity and development, the minister said

Asif said Nawaz Sharif paid a political price for peace efforts with India and was termed ‘Modi’s friend’ and ‘traitor’.

“Nawaz Sharif staked his political career in achieving or stabilising our relations with India. I won’t say that it can be pleasant or lovey dovey relationship overnight but stabilising the relations,” he said. “He was called Modi’s friend and traitor by our political opponents in Pakistan,” said Asif.