WASHINGTON: The US President Barack Obama has asked Pakistan to punish perpetrators of Pathankot attack as the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with the former in Washington to discuss a range of issues of mutual interest.
“They (Obama and Modi) called for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai and 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks to justice,” a joint statement issued after the Obama-Modi meeting at the White House said.
The statement said that during the meeting, the two leaders acknowledged the continued threat posed to human civilization by terrorism and condemned the recent terrorist incidents from Paris to Pathankot, from Brussels to Kabul.
“They resolved to redouble their efforts, bilaterally and with other like-minded countries, to bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorism anywhere in the world and the infrastructure that supports them,” the statement said.
It further said that during the meeting, Barack Obama and Narendra Modi committed to strengthen cooperation against terrorist threats from extremist groups such as “al-Qaeda, Daesh/ISIL, Jaish-e Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, D Company and their affiliates including through deepened collaboration on UN terrorist designations.”
“In this context, they directed their officials to identify specific new areas of collaboration at the next meeting of US? India Counter-terrorism Joint Working Group,” the statement said.
“Recognizing an important milestone in the US-India counter-terrorism partnership, the leaders applauded the finalization of an arrangement to facilitate the sharing of terrorist screening information,” it said.
The statement said that Obama and Modi also affirmed their support for a United Nations Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism that advances and strengthens the framework for global cooperation and reinforces that no cause or grievance justifies terrorism.
