'Pakistan Military establishment using Hafiz Saeed for their strategic purposes'

Pakistani journalist Taha Siddiqui on Monday said that the military establishment in Islamabad is using people like Hafiz Saeed, who is globally designated as terrorist, for their own strategic purposes.

While speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the 37th session of United Nations Human Rights Council session (UNHRC) here, Siddiqui said the Pakistani military has two kinds of different policies. "When it comes to militancy, even within the militancy networks, they support some kind of militancy as they look away when it comes to people like Hafiz Saeed, people like Afghan Taliban or Haqqani network."

He further said in Pakistan, there's one thing that they call the good militant and the bad militant policy.

"We have seen double standards and hypocrisy of the Pakistani policy-makers, particularly the military establishment, which actually manages the policy for the country," Siddiqui said. "I mean there's a civilian government, it's only for the stamp. They don't have that kind of authority."

"The real authority lies with the Pakistani military," he added.

Siddiqui, who is living in exile in Europe, mentioned that organisations linked with people like Saeed run their pages on social media and websites openly.

"They have a great social media presence, nobody stops them. On the other hand people, free-thinkers, who talk about the rights of people of Balochistan and religious minority, are not allowed," the exiled journalist said.

"The government and authority should be cracking down on elements, which are bringing a bad name not just to Pakistan. Globally they are designated as terrorists and they have been problematic," he added.

Earlier on January 10, Siddiqui had a narrow escape after armed men tried to abduct him when he was travelling to the Islamabad airport. Since then, he has been living in exile in Europe.