Pakistan slammed the US and India on Friday after President Joe Biden met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House; both leaders urged Pakistan to prevent extremist assaults from its territory.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry called a U.S.-Indian statement “unwarranted, one-sided, and misleading.” “Contrary to diplomatic norms,” it added to the Islamabad reference.
The ministry claimed it was shocked by the joint statement and has “close counterterrorism cooperation” with the US.
India-Pakistan relations have been tense for years. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since 1947, two over Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region they both claim but administer partially.
The U.S.-Indian statement said, “They (Biden and Modi) strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks.”
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said India used Islamabad’s extremism accusations to distract from Kashmir and India’s treatment of minorities.
New Delhi has long blamed Pakistan for militant strikes in India, notably the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed over 165 people.
India claims Pakistan has supported Islamist militants fighting Indian security forces in Kashmir since the late 1980s. Pakistan maintains it exclusively supports Kashmiris seeking self-determination diplomatically and morally.
In 2019, New Delhi separated Jammu and Kashmir into two federally governed areas, rescinding its special status. Pakistan wants the changes reversed as illegal.
On Thursday, Biden hosted Modi and touted defense and trade partnerships to offset China’s global influence.
Pakistan was “deeply concerned” about transferring modern military technologies to India, saying it would not assist in achieving peace in South Asia.
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