India and US Agrees that Pakistan Should Take Concerted Action Against Terrorism

Guwahati: Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale called on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and discussed major foreign policy and security-related issues after the Pulwama terror attack that took place on February 14. Both India and US agreed that Pakistan needs to take concerted action to dismantle terrorist infrastructure.

Both sides also agreed that those who support or abet terrorism in any form should be held accountable.

Indian Foreign Secretary Gokhale arrived in the United States for the bilateral Foreign Office Consultation and Strategic Security Dialogue with his American counterparts, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson.

The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement stated that both Gokhale and Pompeo expressed satisfaction over the significant progress and the quality of the India-US Strategic Partnership since the US Secretary of State's visit to India in September 2018 for the first-ever Ministerial dialogue.

The firm support that India received from the US has been appreciated by the Foreign Secretary and especially to Secretary Pompeo who expressed his understanding of India's concern regarding cross-border terrorism.

The statement issued by Ministry of External Affairs further states that both the nation agreed that Pakistan needs to take concerted action and to deny safe haven to all terrorist groups in its territory.

The talks are considered significant in view of the escalated tension between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of India's preemptive air strike on the largest terrorist training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammad in Balakot in Pakistan and the subsequent developments.

India also claimed that Pakistan has failed to take any credible action against JeM and other terrorist organizations which continue to operate from Pakistan.

Robert Palladino, Deputy Spokesperson of State Department said that Mike Pompeo has played an essential role in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan during a bi-weekly news conference held last Tuesday.

The foreign office consultation and strategic security dialogue with the US are regular high-level dialogue mechanisms to review bilateral relations, exchange views on major foreign policy and security-related developments and coordinate respective positions on issues of common interest, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Gokhale's visit comes as India intensifies its efforts to declare Pakistan-based JeM Chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist by the United Nations Security Council.

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