India, US ask Pakistan to rein in terror groups

Washington, June 27

In a stern message to Pakistan, India and the US on Tuesday asked the country to ensure that its soil is not used for cross-border terror with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump vowing to boost their fight against terror groups like ISIS, JeM, LeT and D-Company.

As the two leaders held their maiden meeting at the White House and displayed a lot of chemistry, the two countries also called on Pakistan to “expeditiously” bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai, Pathankot attacks and other cross-border terrorist assaults by Pakistan-based groups.

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Modi and Trump vowed to strengthen efforts to fight terrorism and eliminate safe havens for terrorists.

“Eliminating terrorism is among the top-most priorities for us,” Modi told reporters in his joint press statement with Trump at the White House Rose Garden.

A joint statement issued after their meeting said the two sides “called on Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not used to launch terror attacks on other countries.”

Ahead of the meeting, the US State Department had set the tone for the summit by declaring Syed Salahuddin, chief of Kashmiri militant group Hizbul Mujahideen, as a ‘global terrorist’.

The State Department’s action sent out a strong message against the terrorism emanating from Pakistan which is hurting India.

During their meeting, the two leaders also “committed to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats from groups including al-Qaeda, ISIS, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Lashkar-e- Taiba (LeT), D-Company (led by underworld don and terror mastermind Dawood Ibrahim), and their affiliates.”

During the meeting, that was high on symbolism, there was no mention of contentious issues like the H-1B visa reform and climate change. 

The Trump administration also confirmed that it had given its approval to the multi-million dollar sale of a transport carrier to India, along with a separate purchase of around 20 Guardian drones.

“I would say the relationship between India and the United States has never been stronger, has never been better,” Trump told Modi as they made press statements.

 “I look forward to working with you, Mr prime minister, to create jobs in our countries, to grow our economies and to create a trading relationship that is fair and reciprocal.”

Modi highlighted his government’s economic reforms and the ease of doing business in the country.

“We consider the United States as our primary partner in India’s socio-economic transformation in all our flagship programs and schemes,” Modi said.

“I’m sure that convergence between my vision for a new India and President Trump’s vision for ‘Making America Great Again’ will add a new dimension to our cooperation,” Modi said, in reference to Trump’s signature campaign slogan.

The meeting, however, seemed to be dominated by the discussions on cross-border terrorism with the leaders announcing increased cooperation to prevent terrorist travel and to disrupt global recruitment efforts by expanding intelligence-sharing and operational-level counter-terrorism cooperation. — PTI

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