The United States has reiterated its message that Pakistan must act against all terror outfits with Secretary of State John Kerry taking up with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif “the need for Pakistan to prevent all terrorists from using Pakistani territory as safe havens”.
Kerry’s renewed plea during his meeting with Sharif in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session came against the backdrop of the terrorist attack on the army camp in Uri, killing 17 Indian soldiers.
“The Secretary reiterated the need for Pakistan to prevent all terrorists from using Pakistani territory as safe havens, while commending recent efforts by Pakistani security forces to counter extremist violence,” State Department spokesperson John Kirby said in a readout on the Kerry-Sharif meeting.
Significantly, while a Pakistani statement on the meeting spoke of Sharif urging the US to “play a role” in the resolution of the Kashmir issue, Kirby’s brief readout made no reference whatsoever to it.
All it said on Kashmir was about Kerry and Sharif expressing “strong concern with recent violence in Kashmir -- particularly the army base attack -- and the need for all sides to reduce tensions”. “Secretary Kerry also stressed the need for restraint in nuclear weapons programmes,” the readout said.
Kerry and Sharif, according to Kirby, discussed the “strong, long-term bilateral partnership to build upon the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue”, adding the Secretary “commended the Prime Minister for restoring macroeconomic stability to Pakistan over the last three years”.
Top US lawmakers meanwhile strongly condemned the terror strike on Uri camp and called for bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“I condemn the horrible terror attack against an Indian Army Base in Uri in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, which resulted in the death of 17 Indian soldiers. The terrorists who perpetrated this cowardly act must be brought to justice,” said Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton termed the pre-dawn attack on Indian troops while they were asleep “a cowardly act, one that deserves the strongest condemnation”.
Offering his condolences to the Indian government and to the families of the fallen, he said: “The US and India share a vital interest in defending our democracies from the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. Both our nations must commit fully to deepening our security partnership so that radical jihadists are defeated and stability in the region is maintained.”