In a veiled message to Pakistan, Bharat and US reiterated
their condemnation of the 26/11 Mumbai attack and the Pathankot strike and
called for bringing the perpetrators to justice.
In a joint statement at the end of the ‘2+2’ foreign
and defence ministerial dialogue, New Delhi and Washington unequivocally
condemned terrorism and violent extremism, and the use of terrorist proxies and
logistical, financial or military support to terror groups.
US State Secretary Antony Blinken and Defence
Secretary Lloyd Austin led the American delegation at the talks while the
Indian side was headed by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh.
The two sides also deliberated on the situation in
Afghanistan and called on the Taliban to adhere to their commitment to prevent
any group or individual from using the territory of Afghanistan to threaten the
security of any country.
Bharat and US also urged the Taliban to respect the
human rights of all Afghans, including women, children, and members of minority
groups and uphold freedom of travel.
“India and the US reiterated their condemnation of the
26/11 Mumbai attack and the Pathankot attack and called for bringing the
perpetrators of these attacks to justice,” the statement said.
“The ministers also called for concerted action
against all terrorists, including through designations of individuals
affiliated with groups that are listed by the UN Security Council 1267
Sanctions Committee, such as Al-Qa’ida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, and
Jaish-e-Mohammed,” it said.
Pakistan-based terror groups were behind the 26/11 and
2016 Pathankot attacks.
The ministers emphasised the importance of upholding
international standards on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of
terrorism, consistent with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations.
Both the countries reiterated their commitment to work
together in FATF and other multilateral platforms.
“They expressed determination to counter new and
emerging forms of terrorism and violent extremism and the use of emerging and
evolving technologies such as unmanned aerial systems and the internet for
terrorist purposes,” the statement said.
It said the ministers decided to convene the 20th
meeting of the India-US joint working group on counter terrorism and the fifth
designations dialogue at a mutually convenient date early next year.
“Both sides are looking forward to the next edition of
the homeland security dialogue in 2024, where leaders will advance security
cooperation, through capacity building and other activities.”
The two sides also recognised the need to bolster
protection of critical networks and information infrastructure.
The ministers also deliberated on the situation in
Afghanistan.
“The ministers called on the Taliban to adhere to
their commitment to prevent any group or individual from using the territory of
Afghanistan to threaten the security of any country and noted UN Security
Council Resolution 2593 (2021), which demands that Afghan territory not be used
to threaten or attack any country or to shelter or train terrorists, or to plan
or finance terrorist attacks,” the statement said.
“They also emphasised unhindered access to deliver
humanitarian assistance and recommitted to having consultations on Afghanistan
to help facilitate an inclusive and peaceful future for all Afghans,” it said.
PTI
