The U.S. expects Pakistan to take effective steps to “delegitimise and combat” terrorist organisations and individuals, its National Security Advisor (NSA) Susan E. Rice told her Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in a call on Wednesday.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had described Hizb-ul-Mujahideen ''commander'' Burhan Wani as a “young leader murdered by the Indian security forces” in Jammu and Kashmir in his address to the UN General Assembly last week. India had taken strong exception to the statement, pointing out that it legitimised terrorism.
“Highlighting the danger that cross-border terrorism poses to the region, Ambassador Rice reiterated our expectation that Pakistan take effective action to combat and delegitimize United Nations-designated terrorist individuals and entities, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad and their affiliates,” said a statement by National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price.
Ms. Rice strongly condemned the September 18 cross-border attack on the Indian Army Brigade headquarters in Uri and offered condolences to the victims and their families, said Mr. Price. The NSAs discussed the shared commitment of both countries to deepen collaboration on counterterrorism matters, “including on UN terrorist designations.”
Meanwhile, the co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus, Republican John Cornyn and Democrat Mark Warner, promised to work within Congress to “pressure Pakistan to end any association with terrorist groups targeting India, put a stop to their cross-border incursions and take active and immediate steps to reign in homegrown terrorists.”
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Senators said they were “greatly concerned about the initial indications that the perpetrators of this attack [in Uri] were Pakistanis and that the attack emanated from Pakistan.”
“If true, this attack would be just the latest in a series of deadly attacks in India conducted by Pakistan-based terrorist groups. We call on Pakistan to cooperate fully and transparently in this investigations and prosecute any individuals within its territory that participated in this horrendous attack,” the Senators wrote to Mr. Modi.
The Senators said Pakistan’s “possible involvement” in this attack underscored their broader concern about its “use of terrorism as a pillar of its foreign policies toward Afghanistan and India.”
Published - September 29, 2016 08:51 am IST
