A media report has criticised Pakistan's former ambassador to the United States, Hussain Haqqani, for allegedly speaking against the state and misrepresenting the country's fight against terrorism. The report carried out by website 'ZoneAsia-PK' said that Haqqani was praised by the Indian media for his views but that the amount of attention he got from the Indian media was "for all the wrong reasons".
"What makes Mr Ambassador so special and cherished across the border?" the report questioned. It was because "he loves to spew venom against Pakistan. Moreover, when a man of this stature makes claims in favour of the Indian narrative, it provides a certain degree of legitimacy to the propaganda against Pakistan," it added. Citing his latest interview to NDTV, the report observed that the former ambassador again presented a "lopsided" picture on relations between Pakistan and India, putting the blame on Islamabad.
The report said that Haqqani created a "highly misleading" impression that domestic situation in Pakistan was to be blamed for faltering India-Pakistan ties. The report recalled that though Indian Prime Minister Narandera Modi invited his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to his inauguration ceremony, it was him who cancelled the foreign secretary level bilateral talks that were to be held in Islamabad. "His failure to acknowledge the Peshawar attack as a defining moment in the fight against terrorism further highlights his short-sightedness," the report added.
It said that with an ongoing military operation and National Action Plan in place, the military was zeroing in on extremist elements from all corners and the action in Karachi was a big example of that. "It is highly irresponsible of Hussain Haqqani to propagate a contrary picture of Pakistan's fight against terrorism based on assumptions when the country is passing through such a critical juncture," the report added.
It further said that while Haqqani failed to mention the Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan in his interviews, "he focuses on the Pakistani obsession with Kashmir, conveniently forgetting the atrocities being committed by the Indian state and Indian military on the people of Kashmir for decades." The report alleged that Haqqani's articles and interviews were focused more on "destructive criticism" of the country and its institutions.