'Analysts tell only India’s story': Pakistan’s Sherry Rehman sidesteps terror questions

Faced with sharp questioning about terror networks operating from Pakistani soil, Senator Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan Peoples Party pushed back hard—accusing international analysts of parroting India’s narrative and insisting Islamabad won’t be dragged into conflict every time there’s an attack across the border.

In a tense Sky News interview with anchor Yalda Hakim, Rehman was grilled on Pakistan’s role in harboring terror outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Haqqani Network, and the elusive al-Qaeda-linked Brigade 313. 

The senator, while conceding Pakistan’s efforts to move past a “terrorist record,” bristled at the repeated focus on Islamabad’s alleged complicity.

“Am I going to war every time there is an attack in India?” Rehman retorted when asked why groups like Brigade 313 continue to operate out of Pakistan. 

“There are 100 insurgencies running in India — are we responsible for what goes on there?”

Rehman repeatedly questioned the framing of the interview, calling into doubt the sources cited by Hakim and accusing them of mirroring Indian state interests. “International analysts are aligned with India’s narrative. They only tell India’s story,” she said, suggesting a broader information war playing out beyond just state borders.

When asked about Jaish-e-Mohammad’s statement that 10 members of its leader Masood Azhar’s family were killed in Indian airstrikes in Bahawalpur, Rehman was blunt: “Children are not leaders.” She denied the area harbored militant infrastructure, claiming instead, “There are hospitals, mosques, and rubble. I’m happy to take you there.”

Hakim also raised the issue of Brigade 313 acting as a unifying front for various terror factions in Pakistan. Rehman rejected the premise and said Pakistan was being unfairly targeted. “I don’t know who told you this… I can produce any number of pages saying all this. Perhaps we should also produce a digital dossier,” she said, alluding to India’s past public dossiers on cross-border terror.

While admitting Pakistan had a “dirty past” and was “fighting very hard” to clean its image, Rehman made it clear: she believes the world continues to view Pakistan through an outdated, India-colored lens.