The United States on Wednesday said that Pakistan has to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against “indigenous groups” engaged in terrorist activities operating from
The United States on Wednesday said that Pakistan has to do more work towards clearing the terror sanctuaries and push harder against “indigenous groups” engaged in terrorist activities operating from its soil that are affecting ties with India and Afghanistan’s peace and stability and that the US has made this clear to Islamabad.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, however, appeared keen not to openly criticise Pakistan, saying that “Pakistanis have suffered greatly” from terrorist activities in their own country, and that whenever Pakistan acts against terrorists there is an “intense pushback/rollback” (reaction) and that therefore everyone needs to be “supportive and understanding”.
He said that “progress was being made” by Pakistan which is now “moving (against terrorism) at a greater pace”. But at the same time, Washington wants Islamabad to get the message. A joint Indo-US statement that followed Tuesday’s Strategic and Commercial Dialogue stated that the two sides “reiterated their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed their commitment to dismantle safe havens for terrorist and criminal networks such as Daesh/ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Tayeeba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company and its affiliates and the Haqqani Network” and also “called on Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice”.
Mr Kerry, on the last day of his current three-day visit to New Delhi, said that he has discussed with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif the issue of taking stronger action against groups such as the Haqqani network and LeT. Addressing a gathering at the IIT-Delhi on Wednesday morning, he said terror groups like Daesh/(ISIS), Al Qaeda, LeT and JeM can’t be fought by a single nation alone.
“We are working on it. I have been working on this issue very hard. I have had many engagements with Nawaz Sharif. We have been talking on the sanctuaries in the western part of the country, how to deal more effectively with the Haqqani network and the LeT. It is clear that Pakistan has work to do in order to push harder against its indigenous groups that are engaged in terrorist activities. They must work with us to help clear sanctuaries of bad actors who are affecting not only India- Pakistan relationship but also our ability to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Mr Kerry said.
The joint statement said, “The two sides resolved to build on the 2015 Joint Declaration on Combating Terrorism by expanding their practical cooperation to increase capacity.”
The sides noted the discussions held on the full range of Counter Terrorism issues during the India-US Counter Terrorism Joint Working Group meeting held in July 2016 in Washington, DC, welcoming initiatives to expeditiously exchange terrorist screening information, enhance coordination on proposed UN designations of terrorist entities, and expedite mutual legal assistance requests. The sides are developing more joint Counter Terrorism exchanges, programs, and initiatives to deepen the bilateral partnership. The sides reaffirmed their support for a UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism that advances and strengthens the framework for global cooperation to counter terrorism and reinforces that no cause or grievance justifies terrorism. Reflecting shared objectives in combating the threat from terrorists accessing and using nuclear and other radiological materials, the Sides reaffirmed commitments made at the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC.”
