Islamabad calls India-US joint statement one-sided, misleading

By Anjlai Sharma

WASHINGTON – Islamabad on Friday took exception to the ”specific reference” to Pakistan in the joint statement issued by India and the United States after Modi-Trump talks, stated it is ”one-sided, misleading and contrary to diplomatic norms.”

Pakistan foreign office spokesperson said in a weekly briefing that Islamabad is “surprised” by the inclusion of such remarks without acknowledging its the country’s ”sacrifices” in the fight against terrorism.

Trump and Modi in a  joint statement, they asked Pakistan to “expeditiously bring to justice” the plotters of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, which killed over 165 people.

The joint statement named terror groups like al-Qaida, Islamic State, Jaish-e Mohammad, and Lashkar-e-Taiba as the foremost threat.

“The global scourge of terrorism must be fought, and terrorist safe havens eliminated from every corner of the world,” the statement noted.

They are committed themselves to strengthening cooperation against terrorist threats to prevent “heinous acts” like the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai and the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan.

The statement said that the countries would work together to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and deny access to such weapons to terrorists.

“The global scourge of terrorism must be fought, and terrorist safe havens eliminated from every corner of the world,” the statement noted.