But Modi for the first time today elevated that argument by lending a prime ministerial push to the campaign during his comments at the East Asia Summit.
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“PM arrives in New Delhi, after attending 14th ASEAN-India Summit and 11th East Asia Summit at Vientiane, Laos”, the Press Information Bureau tweeted.
“In South Asia, India and most countries of the region are pursuing a peaceful path to economic prosperity”, Modi said in his speech to the leaders of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) countries as well as those of Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the U.S. and Russian Federation who make up the EAS-a regional leaders’ forum for strategic dialogue and cooperation on key challenges facing the East Asian region. “The time has come for us to isolate and sanction this instigator”.
The prime minister’s fresh jibe directed at Pakistan came four days after he called on other BRICS members to intensify joint efforts to combat terrorism and sought “coordinated actions” by the grouping to “isolate supporters and sponsors of terror”.
Obama also expressed the hope that the GST bill will unleash significant economic activities in India.
Vientiane/Washington: Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday advocated the strongest action against states that use terrorism as an instrument of state policy, the United States in a blunt message told Pakistan that it can not “pick and choose” the terrorist groups it goes after. When Modi visited the USA, Obama gave him a 15-minute tour of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, and the following year the US President was the chief guest at the 2015 Republic Day function in India.
Barack Obama also praised PM Modi’s vision of entrepreneurship and innovation, saying it would be “very important for a country like India”, it is learnt.
Obama said that he had always been a friend of India and would continue to be a “strong partner of India and help in any way I can”, according to sources. They discussed climate change issues and energy cooperation. This was followed by a surprise visit by Modi to Pakistan on December 25 past year, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in more than a decade.
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This could be their last meeting as leaders of the two countries with Obama’s second term as US President coming to an end in November.
