Pakistan rejects 'unwarranted reference' in India-US statement

Pakistan on Wednesday rejected an “unwarranted reference” in the statement issued after the US-India '2+2 Ministerial Dialogue', in which they urged Islamabad to take “irreversible actions” against terror outfits.

“The gratuitous reference in the statement alluding to some non-existent and dismantled entities betrays misplaced counter-terrorism focus of both countries,” said the Foreign Office in a statement.

The FO said it was unfortunate that a bilateral cooperation mechanism was being used to target a third country for political expediency and to mislead public opinion away from real and emerging terrorism threats.

“The assertions made against Pakistan in the statement are malicious and lack any credibility.”

On Tuesday, the US and India called on Pakistan to take “immediate, sustained, and irreversible action” to ensure that no territory under its control was used for terrorist attacks.

“India strongly condemns any use of terrorist proxies and cross-border terrorism in all its forms and called for the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, and Pathankot attack, to be brought to justice,” the statement — issued by the US Embassy and Consulates in India — read.

Responding to the joint statement, the FO said that Pakistan had remained a major, proactive, reliable, and willing partner of the international community in the global fight against terrorism over the last two decades.

“Pakistan’s successes and sacrifices in countering terrorism are unparalleled and widely acknowledged by the international community, including the United States. No country in the region has sacrificed more for peace than Pakistan,” the statement added.

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The FO said India’s insinuations against Pakistan were in fact a “desperate attempt” to conceal its state-terrorism and brutal atrocities against the subjugated Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

“Responsible members of the international community must condemn India’s use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy and the impunity that continues to be associated with it,” the FO stated.

According to the office, India’s terrorism network using the soil of other countries and supporting UN-designated terrorist organisations is on record, and failing to take cognizance of this serious situation is tantamount to abdication of international responsibility.

“We expect and urge the partner countries to take an objective view of the issues of peace and security in South Asia and refrain from associating themselves with positions that are one-sided, politically motivated, and divorced from ground realities,” the statement maintained.

“Our concerns and rejection of the unwarranted reference to Pakistan in the US-India Statement have been conveyed to the US side through diplomatic channels.”