Uzbekistan condemns Pahalgam attack, steps up counter-terror cooperation with India

India and Uzbekistan have reaffirmed their commitment to deepen counter-terrorism cooperation during the ninth meeting of their Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and simultaneously condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed lives of 26 people, a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official said on Wednesday.

The talks, held a day back in Tashkent, were co-chaired by Dr Vinod J Bahade, MEA Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism) and Gulomjon Pirimkulov, Head of Department for Cooperation with South Asia, Middle East and Africa in Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the official, both sides reviewed the global and regional threat landscape, exchanging views on emerging challenges such as radicalization, terror financing, the use of technology by extremist groups, and the nexus between terrorism and organized crime.

"The delegations strongly condemned the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which innocent civilians were killed," the official said.

The meeting also explored ways to expand bilateral cooperation through information-sharing, capacity-building, and the exchange of best practices.

"The two countries have also agreed to enhance coordination in multilateral platforms including the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS), and the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG)," said the official.

The next session of the Joint Working Group is scheduled to take place in India at a mutually convenient date.