Don't think it's a secret: Bilawal Bhutto on Pakistan's links with terror groups

Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto has acknowledged Pakistan's past association with extremist elements, stating that while the country has had a difficult history, it has since undergone reforms and moved on. His remarks came during an interview with Sky News, where he responded to a question regarding earlier comments by Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif on the country's link to terror groups.

Bhutto said it was no secret that Pakistan had a past, and the consequences of that were deeply felt within the country. "As far as what the defence minister said, I don’t think it is a secret that Pakistan has a past. As a result, we have suffered, Pakistan has suffered. We have suffered. We have gone through wave after wave of extremism. But as a result of what we suffered, we also learnt our lessons. We have gone through internal reforms to address this problem," he said.

Emphasising that the country no longer supports such elements, Bhutto added, "As far as Pakistan's history is concerned, it is history and it is not something that we are partaking in today. It is true that it is an unfortunate part of our history."