Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the Pulwama terror attack that left 40 CRPF personnel martyred was carried out by a Kashmiri youth and that Islamabad had got nothing to do with it. Khan addedeven though terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility for theattack, said to have its base in Pakistan, the country should not be blamed.

“It was clearly an indigenous thing,” Khan went to say at a think tank, US Institute of Peace, referring to the Pulwama attack that tookplace in Kashmir. “It was a Kashmiri boy radicalized by the brutality the security forces. He blew himself up. But because this group claimed responsibility, which was in India as well, Jaish-e-Mohammad is operating in India — but Pakistan suddenly came in the limelight.”Khan said that even beforethe attack, Pakistan had decided to disarm “all militant groups” and all the political parties had backed it.

“But because this group claimed responsibility, which was inIndia as well — Jaish-e-Mohammed was operating in India — Pakistan suddenlycame in the limelight,” he said.

“Even before this had happened, we had already decided thatwe will disarm all militant groups in Pakistan. And it is Pakistan’s interest,I repeat it is in our interest, because the country has had enough of militant groups,” he added.

For the unversed, as many as 40 CRPF personnel were martyredon February 14 when a CRPF convoy was rammed into by a Jaish terrorist —leading the relations between India and Pakistan to plummet even further.On February 26, India conducted an airstrike on Pakistan’s Balakot to destroy terror haven of Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Imran Khan, while speaking at the US Institute of Peace in Washington on Tuesday, also admitted that whenever there was progress inimproving ties between India and Pakistan it was met by some incident thatcaused a reversal. But he did not say who was behind the incidents that setbackpeace.

He said, “Unfortunately because of one issue of Kashmir whenever we have tried, whenever our relationship has started to move in theright direction with India, some incident happens — and that is all related to Kashmir — we go back to square one.”

He said in response to a question if the current crack down on terrorists and militants in Pakistan would continued and if Hafiz Saeed,whose arrest for the eight time impressed only the US president Donald Trump,would stay in custody this time, and not be released as in previous instances.

Khan tried first to make light of the question that while the country wants and needs an independent judiciary he is being asked topredict what it would do. Without directly answering the Saeed arrest question,he said it was in Pakistan’s interest to now get rid of all armed militias.“Itis in Pakistan’s interest, it’s in our interest,” he continued. “The countryhas had enough of militant groups.”

The prime minister said the security forces were with him onthis. “It’s the army that’s helping us disarm all militant groups.”