The Indian and American joint statement’s use of the Foreign Office and Terrorism terminology was criticized by Pakistan.
As well as voicing worries over the transfer of advanced military technologies to New Delhi, Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Friday sharply criticized the Pakistan-specific reference in the Indo-US joint statement as inappropriate, one-sided, and deceptive.
There are political undertones to the reference, which goes against diplomatic rules. After the Indo-American joint statement charged Pakistan of cross-border terrorism and the deployment of terrorist proxies, the Foreign Office released a strong statement reading, “We are surprised that it has been added despite Pakistan’s close counterterrorism cooperation with the US.”
After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States, the two leaders released a joint statement.
They “strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, 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 the joint statement released by Modi and Biden.
In a joint statement, the two leaders had stated, “President Biden and Prime Minister Modi reiterated the call for concerted action against all UN-listed terrorist groups, including al Qaeda, ISIS/Da’esh, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujhahideen.”
The FO, however, argued that Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism had resulted in unprecedented sacrifices.
Our police and soldiers have shown the world what it means to make the ultimate sacrifice. The ordinary citizens of Pakistan are the true heroes of this struggle.
The world has often acknowledged Pakistan’s efforts and sacrifices in the war on terrorism. Terrorism, it has long been decided, may be countered by joint and coordinated efforts.
There is no evidence presented in the joint statement to support the claim that it will increase global determination to combat terrorism. According to the statement, “the cooperative spirit, so vitally needed to defeat the scourge of terrorism, has been sacrificed at the altar of geopolitical considerations.”
It said that India not only sponsors terrorism but also frequently utilizes the threat of terrorism to distract from its own human rights abuses, such as the brutal persecution of the Kashmiri people in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
In light of this, it is totally inappropriate to criticize Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism.
Unfortunately, the major causes of conflict and instability in the region are not mentioned in the joint statement, nor is the dire human rights situation in IIOJK acknowledged. This is the same as shirking one’s duty to the world community.
The anticipated transfer of cutting-edge military technologies to India is also a major source of concern for Pakistan.
Such actions are further aggravating the military imbalance in the region and threatening the peace and security of the area. The statement warned that these actions are still counterproductive to the goal of establishing lasting peace in South Asia.
“We urge our international partners to take a holistic and objective view of the issues of peace and security in South Asia, and to refrain from endorsing one-sided positions.”
The defense and foreign ministers had previously made similar denials.
The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, recently made it clear that geopolitics has no place in the fight against terrorism.
Bilawal responded that he agreed with the statement but that Pakistan should keep a safe distance from international affairs.
“We should look inward and if we correct ourselves then we will be able to achieve our international targets,” he continued.
Pakistan has always been able to stand on its own two feet, and it always will. Pakistan was hit the worst by terrorist attacks, and our country has lost more citizens to terrorist violence than either India or the United States.
During our government’s tenure from 2008-2013, we were able to vanquish these terrorists. That Imran Khan’s policies have revived terrorism as a problem for us is deeply regrettable.
Terrorism, in our opinion, should not be used as a geopolitical bargaining chip. Terrorism is a global threat that requires concerted international effort and should not be politicized.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif was direct in his reaction, but his counterpart, Bilawal, was more conciliatory.
In response, Asif pointed out “the irony of this statement coming during the visit of someone who was banned entry to the US for overseeing a pogrom of Muslims when he was the Gujarat CM,” taking significant offense to the statement.
Minister laments in a tweet that Indian Prime Minister Modi “leads yet another campaign of state-sponsored terrorism in Kashmir, routinely maiming and blinding the local population.”
It has been reported that “acolytes of Modi lynch Muslims, Christians, and other minorities across the rest of the country with impunity.”
The defense minister further noted that “Pakistan has lost countless lives and been continuously at war with terrorism for decades now” because of disastrous American engagements in the region.
Maybe President Biden should think about these realities before he next fetes the Butcher of Gujarat, Asif suggested.
Modi wants to increase India’s influence as the most populous nation in the world, while Washington wants India to provide a strategic counterweight to China.
However, India and Pakistan’s ties have been tense for a long time despite the fact that they are nuclear-armed neighbors. India and Pakistan have gone to war three times since the end of British colonial authority in 1947, twice of them over the Muslim-majority Himalayan territory of Kashmir.
Since the late 1980s, Indian security forces have been engaged in conflict with insurgents who India accuses of receiving support from Pakistan.
Pakistan says it solely offers spiritual and diplomatic support to Kashmiris fighting for independence.
In 2019, New Delhi rescinded IIOJK’s special status by dividing it into two federally governed areas. Pakistan claims the actions are illegal and demands that they be reversed.
The two countries’ diplomatic ties were weakened as a result of India’s move.
Notably, Pakistan’s defense minister had previously indicated that his country had no problem with the alliance between the United States and India “as long as it does not come at the expense of Pakistan.”
In an interview with Newsweek, the minister emphasized the value of cordial ties with regional allies like India, especially in light of the Kashmir dispute.
