Monitoring Desk: The joint press conference of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi revolved around alleged presence of terrorist organisations in Pakistan.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Pakistan a day before he visited India. No joint communiqué was released and no joint press conference held in Islamabad after his meeting with civil and military leadership of Pakistan on October 2, 2017.
During joint press conference, Indian Minister of Eternal Affairs Sushma Swaraj claimed that Pakistan was behind terror attacks in Mumbai and Pathankot while US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that terrorist organizations were present in Pakistan. He claimed that he discussed the issue of safe places for terrorists with Pakistani leadership during his visit to Islamabad.
Important points of joint press conference related with Pakistan are hereunder. Text has been taken from official website of Department of State of United States of American.
Sushma Swaraj: We agree that Pakistan should take immediate steps to dismantle safe havens for terrorist groups and bring the perpetrators of Mumbai and Pathankot and other terrorist attacks. We believe that effective action by Pakistan against all terrorist groups without distinction is critical to the success of the new strategy of President Trump.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson: In our discussions with Pakistani leadership yesterday in Islamabad we had a very open, frank exchange around the concerns the United States shares with other regional partners and allies – India, but also Afghanistan – that there are too many terrorist organizations that find a safe place in Pakistan from which to conduct their operations and attacks against other countries. We have extended to Pakistan certain expectations we have of their government and their leadership to deal with, in particular, these organizations, the leaders of these organizations, and we are attempting to put in place a mechanism of cooperation through information sharing, but not just information sharing; action – action to be taken to begin to deny these organizations the ability to launch attacks against others.
Quite frankly, my view – and I expressed this to the leadership of Pakistan – is we also are concerned about the stability and security of Pakistan’s government as well. As these terrorist organizations have enlarged their numbers and have enlarged their strength and their capability within Pakistan’s borders, this can lead to a threat to Pakistan’s own stability. It is not in anyone’s interest that the Government of Pakistan be destabilized. And so we think we have a mutually shared interest in not just containing these organizations, but ultimately eliminating these organizations. I think all of us have to commit ourselves to the eradication of terrorism, of violent extremism in whatever form it takes. And this is going to require international and global efforts and a common view and a common objective and mission.
