FO rejects unwarranted references to Pakistan in US-India joint statement on counter terrorism

---

The Foreign Office on Tuesday rejected the unwarranted references to Pakistan in the statement issued by the US-India Counter Terrorism Joint Working Group and Designations Dialogue, which underlined the urgent need for Islamabad to take steps to ensure that its territory is not used for terrorist attacks.

FO Spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said, our serious concerns and rejection of the unacceptable reference to Pakistan in the joint statement have been conveyed to the US side. It is important that partner countries take an objective view of the issues of peace and security in South Asia and refrain from endorsing positions that are one-sided and divorced from ground realities.

In a joint statement released on September 10, the two countries had denounced the use of terrorist proxies and strongly condemned cross border terrorism in all its forms.

The statement read, 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 FO spokesman said that the international community was well aware that Pakistan was among the countries most affected by cross border terrorism sponsored and supported by India. The international community also recognises Pakistan’s efforts, sacrifices and successes in the fight against terrorism. Pakistan has repeatedly underlined that peace and stability in South Asia is threatened by the irresponsible policies and actions of the RSS-BJP regime in India including towards its minorities. Its state terrorism in occupied Kashmir and its ielligerence against Pakistan and other countries in the region. The international community must urge India to reverse course and desist from playing a role detrimental to regional peace and stability.