No confirmation on Pak's ban on JuD and Haqqani network: US

Washington, Jan 23: The US on Friday said it has no confirmation on Pakistan's banning of Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the dreaded Haqqani Network, even as it recognised that the country was in the process of implementing measures to thwart violent extremism.

"We recognise that Pakistan is working through the process of implementing measures to thwart violent extremism, including the national action plan. We don't have any confirmation of specific steps," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters here when asked about the reported ban on the two terror outfits.

Facing intense international pressure, Pakistan has banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the dreaded Haqqani Network along with other terror outfits and also slapped foreign travel restrictions on the 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind.

Even as the ban came amid intense US pressure to take action against Haqqani Network and other terror groups, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said, "Pakistan took this decision under the UN obligation and not under pressure from any other quarter including John Kerry (US Secretary of State)."

Pak banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Haqqani Network along with other outfits

Psaki said, "The Pakistani government has made clear in both private conversations and public statements that it is in Pakistan's own interest to take steps against all militant groups in Pakistan, and explicitly to not differentiate between such group."

"We support this commitment and believe that it is fundamental to addressing terrorism and ensuring attacks such as the horrific one that happened just weeks ago that impacted the Peshawar school children never occur again," Psaki said.

PTI