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 U.S. has made this clear to Islamabad.
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Earlier in the day, addressing an interaction programme at IIT Delhi, Kerry said that terror groups and extremism can not be fought by one nation and all countries have to confront the menace together. “We agreed on additional measures to strengthen our counterterrorism cooperation, specifically, to work for early operationalisation of the agreement on exchange of information on known or suspected terrorists. But the key is to have tolerance to work through issues”.
A senior United States official said Kerry would urge Prime Minister Modi in a meeting on Wednesday to open talks with Pakistan to defuse tension.
Despite many attempts made by me and US President Barack Obama, India lost its NSG bid due to opposition by few countries, said Kerry.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is on a three-day visit to India, is reportedly not leaving the country on Wednesday, as was planned.
A senior U.S. official said Kerry would urge Modi in a meeting on Wednesday to open talks with neighbouring Pakistan to resolve tension over India-held Kashmir.
Later in the day, United States and India called on Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai 2008 and Pathankot 2016 attackers to justice.
“Terror is terror”, said Kerry, reiterating America’s support to India’s demand that Pakistan punish the attackers involved in 26/11 and January’s terror strike on the Pathankot air force base. “Secretary Kerry also shared U.S. perspective on developments in the region and beyond with the Prime Minister”, the statement said. He said, “The battle to counter terrorists and extremists can not be won by one nation”. And we can not and we will not make distinctions between good and bad terrorists.
Pakistan has suffered the most in war on terror- Over seventy thousand including men in uniform sacrificed their live in fight against terror. With the global system no longer divided between east and west and north and south, leading nations can not just ignore threats beyond our borders. “This was underlined by the enthusiasm of the US Congress with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June this year”, Parrikar said.
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The latest move to attract New Delhi’s support in securing stability in Afghanistan comes amid growing frustrations by Washington regarding Pakistan’s war against terrorism.
