Washington, June 23: Two Republican senators flagged histories of Qatar and Pakistan of “harbouring terrorists” against the backdrop of US Vice President JD Vance’s remarks professing “love” for Islamabad.
“It should be clear to everybody by now who our friends really are. Qatar and Pakistan have long histories of harbouring terrorists, and right now they seem far more invested in propping up Iran’s decades-long terror campaign than achieving a meaningful peace,” Senator Rick Scott said in a post on X on Monday.
The Florida senator’s remarks came against the backdrop of Vance’s “we love Pakistan” remark in Switzerland, where he, along with leaders from Pakistan and Qatar, were negotiating technical details of a peace deal with Iran.
Senator Tim Sheehy from Montana, in an interview to Fox News, also flagged the role of Pakistan in sheltering Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. “Pakistan, let’s not forget, Pakistan hid bin Laden for a decade. They funded Ayatollah through ISI insurances,” Sheehy said.
He said if Pakistan and Qatar were at the negotiating table, the US should also have the UAE, Israel and Saudi Arabia join the talks.
Sheehy said that Qatar has been laundering money for terrorist organisations for decades. (PTI)
