Claiming that Pakistan has been the worst sufferer of terrorist backlash post-9/11, the country's Interior Minister today rued here that the world has not appreciated Islamabad's role in the war against terror.
"Backlash of 9/11 was totally taken by Pakistan. If the role of Pakistan had been appreciate, if there was greater understanding of Pakistan's position, may be all of Pakistan's sacrifices would have been worth it," Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Pakistan's Interior Minister, said in Washington.
"But Pakistan continues to be on the hit list of analysts who focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan," Khan said at an event hosted by the US Institute of Peace (USIP), a Washington-based think tank.
Describing Pakistan's fight against terrorism post 9/11 as a "roller coaster ride" for the past 13 years, Khan said finally there is a consensus in Pakistan on this issue.
"There is general support for military operation in the country. The divide between the civil and military has been completely erased," he said.
In his remarks, Khan blamed the previous Musharraf regime in taking unilateral decisions when it came to fight against terrorism and not taking the country into confidence.
"Decision by Gen Musharraf on terrorism was taken without any consensus," he said, adding that single factor contributing to all these years of Pakistan's fight against terrorism was lack of unity.
Listing out the steps taken by the Nawaz Sharif government in fight against terrorism, Khan said the headquarters of most of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisations have been destroyed in the border areas of the country.
"But it is no easy task. It would take a lot of efforts of cleansing," he said.
Terrorist groups have gone across the border and trying to reorganise. They are trying to target softest targets, he said.
"The options for us are very difficult," he said.
