Biden joins Modi in telling Pakistan to crack down on extremist groups

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Thursday joined visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in warning Pakistan to crack down on extremists that target New Delhi.

In a joint statement issued as Modi paid a state visit to Washington, the two leaders called for action against extremist groups allegedly based in Pakistan such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. “They 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,” the statement said.

They called on Pakistan to punish perpetrators of attacks, including the bloody 2008 siege of Mumbai. The United States historically has been a close partner of Pakistan but its patience wore thin over alleged ties between Afghanistan’s Taliban and Islamabad.

India and the United States also voiced “deep concern about the deteriorating situation in Myanmar,” where the military ousted a fledgling civilian government in 2021.

The two countries called for “the release of all those arbitrarily detained, the establishment of constructive dialogue and the transition of Myanmar toward an inclusive federal democratic system.”

The United States has imposed a slew of sanctions on Myanmar’s junta but New Delhi has maintained a comparatively cordial relationship, mindful that the country borders unstable parts of northeastern India.

The statement released by the White House referred to the country as Myanmar and not the former name of Burma, which the United States uses.

The statement said that the US-India Comprehensive Global and Strategic Partnership are anchored in a new level of trust and mutual understanding and enriched by the warm bonds of family and friendship that inextricably link the two countries together.

“Together, we will build an even stronger, diverse US-India partnership that will advance the aspirations of our people for a bright and prosperous future grounded in respect for human rights, and shared principles of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law,” said the joint statement.

“Our cooperation will serve the global good as we work through a range of multilateral and regional groupings – particularly the Quad – to contribute toward a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific. No corner of human enterprise is untouched by the partnership between our two great countries, which spans the seas to the stars,” said the statement.

Affirming that technology will play the defining role in deepening US-India partnership, the joint statement said the leaders hailed the inauguration of the initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in January 2023 as a major milestone in US-India relations.

“They called on our governments, businesses, and academic institutions to realise their shared vision for the strategic technology partnership. The leaders recommitted the United States and India to fostering an open, accessible, and secure technology ecosystem, based on mutual confidence and trust that reinforces our shared values and democratic institutions,” it said.

Observing that the US-India Major Defence Partnership has emerged as a pillar of global peace and security, the statement said that through joint exercises, strengthening of defence industrial cooperation, the annual “2+2” Ministerial Dialogue, and other consultative mechanisms, the two countries have made substantial progress in building an advanced and comprehensive defence partnership in which the militaries coordinate closely across all domains.

“The leaders appreciated the strong military-to-military ties, mutual logistics support, and efforts to streamline implementation of foundational agreements. They noted that information sharing and placement of Liaison Officers in each other’s military organisations will spur joint service cooperation.

“They also reiterated their resolve to strengthen maritime security cooperation, including through enhanced underwater domain awareness. The leaders welcomed the launch of dialogues in new defence domains including space and Artificial intelligence, which will enhance capacity building, knowledge, and expertise,” said the joint statement.

As climate action and clean energy leaders, the United States and India share a common and ambitious vision to rapidly deploy clean energy at scale, build economic prosperity, and help achieve global climate goals.

“They recognise the critical role of the US Inflation Reduction Act and India’s ambitious production-linked incentives scheme for cutting-edge clean and renewable technologies. The leaders highlighted the US-India Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership and Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP) as reflective of this commitment,” said the joint statement.

As global partners, the United States and India affirmed that the rules-based international order must be respected.

They emphasised that the contemporary global order has been built on principles of the UN Charter, international law, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, the joint statement said.

As two of the world’s largest democratic economies, the United States and India are indispensable partners in advancing global prosperity and a free, fair, and rules-based economic order, it said. Biden highlighted the impactful participation of Modi in the G7 Hiroshima Summit and looks forward to the G20 Summit in September in New Delhi.

He applauded India’s leadership in its ongoing G20 Presidency, which has brought renewed focus on strengthening multilateral institutions and international cooperation to tackle global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, fragility and conflict, along with work to accelerate the achievement of the UN Sustainable

Development Goals, and lay the foundation for strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth, said the joint statement.