US Congressman calls on Pakistan to act against Jaish-e-Mohammed
What's the story
United States Congressman Brad Sherman has called on Pakistan to take strong action against the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
He made this appeal during a meeting with a Pakistani delegation, headed by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in Washington.
Sherman described JeM as a "vile" organization and highlighted its role in the 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl.
Terrorism focus
'Eliminate this vile group...'
Sherman stressed the need for Pakistan to do "all it can to eliminate this vile group and combat terrorism in the region."
He also pointed out that Pearl's family still lives in his California district.
Omar Saeed Sheikh was convicted of masterminding Pearl's kidnapping and murder.
The meeting came as Indian MPs, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, were also in Washington over 'Operation Sindoor' after a recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
Minority rights
Treatment of religious minorities in Pakistan
Sherman also raised concerns over the treatment of religious minorities in Pakistan.
He said, "Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadiyya Muslims must be allowed to practice their faith and participate in the democratic system without fear of violence, persecution, discrimination, or an unequal justice system."
The US lawmaker also called for Dr Shakil Afridi's release.
Afridi is a Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden through a fake polio vaccination campaign.
Imprisonment plea
Afridi's case
Afridi was arrested in 2011 and sentenced to 33 years in prison.
Freeing Afridi is "an important step in bringing closure for victims of 9/11," Sherman told the Pakistani delegation.
The Pakistani delegation was visiting Washington to internationalize its conflict with India over Kashmir, but ended up facing calls to tackle terrorism from its soil.