Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I would just make a point of personal privilege. My colleagues and I, across the aisle and here with me in the Chamber, thank our staff for being here during these long days and long nights. We thank them. Mr. Chair, in August 2021, as America looked in horror at the beginning of what would soon become the greatest foreign policy disaster of the 21st century, then-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan praised the takeover of Kabul, joyfully proclaiming that the Taliban had thrown off the shackles of slavery. Some Americans may have been puzzled that Pakistan, designated major non-NATO ally of the United States, would have been so bold as to support America's enemies back in 2021. However, a cursory look at Pakistan's history would clarify that this country, a country whose many Islamist groups support attacks against innocent civilians, has always supported terrorism and terrorist groups. The Haqqani Network, a designated foreign terrorist organization whose members now play a role of kingmaker in Afghanistan, is a proxy of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, and has been for decades. Along with many elements of the Taliban, the network was regularly given safe haven in Pakistan to operate and evade apprehension. The coordination between the Haqqani Network and Pakistan was so strong that in 2011, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mullen, described the network as a veritable arm of the Pakistani intelligence.…”