A strong counterterrorism statement that mentioned Pakistan, terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, and a condemnation of the recent attacks in Gurdaspur and Udhampur were the hallmarks of the ever-converging strategic interests that were flagged in the joint statement by India and U.S. after their first ever Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said “We reiterate the threat posed by al-Quaeda, LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed, D-Company, the Haqqani Network and other regional groups that seek to undermine stability in South Asia,” adding that India and the U.S. called for Pakistan “to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.”
The joint statement went further to “strongly condemn the July 27 15 terrorist attack in Gurdaspur, Punjab and the August 5 2015 attack in Udhampur, Kashmir.”
For U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s part, he reiterated Washington’s hope that India would also join the fight against the Islamic State, the jihadist outfit that controls parts of Syria and Iraq, and he said “India has pledged to be a key partner in [the conversations surrounding the global fight against IS] and I am grateful to them…”
This firm stance on fighting terror threats also appeared to be a recognition of India’s expanding footprint as a global power, and Mr. Kerry went on to express his gratitude to New Delhi for other global collaborative efforts including a new bilateral troop-training initiative in six African countries, which are sending peacekeepers to the U.N. The agenda item that appeared to receive top billing in the bilateral dialogue alongside counterterrorism was climate change and clean energy, where both sides agreed to a host of new initiatives including, an “Oceans Dialogue” to promote the development of the “blue economy” and the launch of a Fulbright Climate Change Programme, “to facilitate the exchange of key research and information.”
