Urgent need for Pakistan to take immediate, irreversible action against terror groups: Indo-US joint statement

Washington: There is an urgent need for Pakistan to take an immediate, sustained and irreversible action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for terrorist activities, India and the United States said on Thursday and asked Islamabad to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorist attacks, including the 26/11 Mumbai strike and the Pathankot airbase attack.

In a joint statement issued after the 17th meeting of the India-US Counter-Terrorism Joint Working Group and the third session of the India-US Designations Dialogue held virtually on September 9-10, both sides denounced the use of terrorist proxies and strongly condemned cross-border terrorism in all its forms.

The Indian delegation was led by Mahaveer Singhvi, Joint Secretary for Counter Terrorism, Ministry of External Affairs, while the American side was led by Nathan Sales, State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism.

The joint statement stated that the meeting was a far-reaching conversation on counterterrorism cooperation, resolving to continue close coordination on this important element of the comprehensive global strategic partnership that exists between the two countries.

“The two sides underlined the urgent need for Pakistan to take immediate, sustained, and irreversible action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for terrorist attacks, and to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of such attacks, including 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot,” the joint statement said.

The US side reiterated its support for the people and the government of India in the fight against terrorism.

They exchanged views on threats posed by UN-sanctioned terrorist entities and emphasized the need for concerted action against all terrorist networks, including al-Qa”ida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizb-ul Mujahideen, a media statement said.

During the meeting, the two sides also shared information about their priorities and procedures for pursuing sanctions and designations against terrorist groups and individuals, particularly in light of recent legislative changes in India.

There was a joint commitment to strengthen cooperation on information sharing and other steps to disrupt the ability of international terrorists to travel, consistent with the important provisions and obligations outlined in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2396.

Participants of the meeting also highlighted their efforts to address some of the world”s most pressing counter-terrorism challenges, including countering the financing and operations of terrorist organisations, countering radicalisation and terrorist use of the internet, cross-border movement of terrorists and prosecuting, rehabilitating, and reintegrating returning terrorist fighters and family members.

India and the US also discussed mutual legal and extradition assistance, bilateral law enforcement training and cooperation.