Pakistan upset over reference to it in India-US statement

Islamabad, June 24

In an aggressive response to a joint statement issued by India and the US earlier this week, Pakistan has termed it as “unwarranted, one-sided and misleading” and also called on President Joe Biden’s administration to check facts.

The Foreign Office (FO) in Islamabad maintained that Pakistan-specific reference made in the joint statement was contrary to diplomatic norms and carried political overtones. “We consider the Pakistan-specific reference in the joint statement issued on June 22, as unwarranted, one-sided, and misleading. The reference is contrary to diplomatic norms and has political overtones. We are surprised that it has been added despite Pakistan’s close counterterrorism cooperation with the US,” FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.

She also reminded the Biden administration about the sacrifices it has rendered in the ongoing fight against terrorism and how it as gained global and international recognition for its efforts.

“The international community has time and again recognized Pakistan’s efforts and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. It has long concluded that terrorism can be defeated through concerted and cooperative actions. Today, we fail to see how the assertions made in the joint statement could strengthen the international resolve to fight terrorism.