Washington D.C: The United States is “focused on pressing Pakistan to take sustained, irreversible action on terrorist groups operating on its soil” and is “working with others in the international community to achieve this goal” in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack carried out by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, a senior US State Department official noted.
The statement also comes following China blocking a proposal – for the fourth time – in the UN Security Council to list JeM chief Masood Azhar under the UN sanctions committee.
“The events of the past few weeks have underscored that the US-India relationship is a global and long-term partnership, that we will stand by each other in times of crisis, and that we are working diligently to expand our habits of cooperation…We stood publicly and resolutely with India in its response to the attack, as you saw in our statements while joining the international community in encouraging both sides to avoid military escalation, de-escalate tensions, and communicate directly,” the official said.
“We are focused on pressing Pakistan to take sustained, irreversible action on terrorist groups operating on its soil, and we are working with others in the international community to achieve this goal,” he added.
Talking about Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale’s recent visit to Washington, the official said that the visit “demonstrated the transformation of our strategic relationship”.
The official outlined the meeting of the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) this week, co-chaired by US Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment, Ellen Lord, and Indian Secretary of Defense Production, Ajay Kumar, “which focused on encouraging US and Indian industry to work together and develop next-generation technologies”.
The official also appreciated the Ambassador of India to the USA, Harsh Vardhan Shringla. “Ambassador Shringla has already made an extraordinary impression here in DC, and we look forward to working with him in the months and years to come,” he said. (ANI)
