"Unequivocally condemn..." Pakistan's terror factory called out in strong US-India joint statement

Washington DC [US], June 23 : US and India on Thursday strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, and the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks, according to US-India joint statement.

US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the call for concerted action against all UN-listed terrorist groups including Al-Qaida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizb-ul-Mujhahideen.

Both countries stood together to counter global terrorism and unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations.

They called for the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks to be brought to justice, read the statement.

Earlier, PM Modi had highlighted the need to fight terrorism and extremism that constitutes a real threat to democracy, the rule of law and the enjoyment of human rights.

Speaking during a joint press conference with US President Joe Biden, PM Modi said, "India and America are walking shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terrorism and extremism. We agree that concerted action is necessary to end cross-border terrorism."

Notably, his comments come days after China blocked proposals at the United Nations to designate Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba's Sajid Mir as a "global terrorist."

Even 15 years after the Mumbai terrorist attacks, its masterminds have not yet been brought to justice.

Both leaders also raised concern over the increasing global use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones and information and communication technologies for terrorist purposes and reaffirmed the importance of working together to combat such misuse, added the joint statement.

They welcomed the cooperation between the two governments on counterterrorism designations and homeland security cooperation, including intelligence sharing and law enforcement cooperation.

Both leaders called upon the Financial Action Task Force to undertake further work identifying how to improve global implementation of its standards to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, added the statement.

President Biden and PM Modi reiterated their strong support for a peaceful, secure, and stable Afghanistan.

They discussed the current humanitarian situation and concurred on the need to continue to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

The leaders urged the Taliban to abide by UNSC Resolution 2593 which demands that Afghan territory should never be used to threaten or attack any country, shelter or train terrorists, or plan or finance terrorist attacks, added the statement.

Committing to continue close consultations on the situation in Afghanistan, the leaders emphasized the importance of the formation of an inclusive political structure and called on the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans, including women and girls, and to respect freedom of movement.