Asif rejects US' allegations of terrorist 'safe havens' in Pak

Pakistan has outrightly rejected the allegations made by the United States that it was providing safe havens to the terrorist organisation.

When asked about his views on U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's recent statement at a press briefing, Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said, "Pakistan has contributed with both blood and treasure in the fight against terrorism and made significant gains through its effective counter-terrorism operations," adding, "We reject baseless allegations of safe havens."

Earlier this week, the U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson said that U.S. has given Pakistan another chance to fight terrorist safe havens on its territory.

In response to that, Asif categorically said that Islamabad repeatedly conveyed to the U.S. leadership that it should refrain from making unfounded assertions.

Meanwhile, the U.S. President Donald Trump administration is believed to have shared a list of 20 terrorist groups with Pakistani officials, in its efforts toward helping Islamabad eliminate terrorism.

This comes after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the United States is going to test Pakistan by giving them a chance to act against terrorism.

While giving a rundown of his visit to Pakistan last week, Tillerson informed that Pakistan has indicated to act against terrorists, if given information regarding their whereabouts.

The visit of the foreign secretary was aimed towards conveying President Trump's message to Pakistan that terrorists, who plan attacks on neighbouring Afghanistan, find safe haven in the country.