Islamabad, 27 June, 2023 (GNP): The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan said in a statement on Monday that Pakistan formally protested the US-India joint statement issued after a meeting between President Joe Biden and visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.
It said that the US deputy chief of mission was called at the foreign ministry and a demarche was conveyed to him about the joint statement issued on 22 June, 2023. The ministry conveyed Pakistan’s concern and disappointment over the statement to the US diplomat.
“Pakistan’s concerns and disappointment at the unwarranted, one-sided, and misleading references to it in the Joint Statement were conveyed to the US side,” the foreign ministry said in the statement.
The statement further added, “It was stressed that the United States should refrain from issuing statements that may be construed as an encouragement of India’s baseless and politically motivated narrative against Pakistan.”
https://twitter.com/ForeignOfficePk/status/1673385144168878080?s=19
Furthermore, the ministry drew the attention of the US diplomat towards well-progressing counterterrorism cooperation between Pakistan and the US. It also expressed that an enabling environment, centered around trust and understanding, was imperative to further solidifying the bilateral ties.
However, the Biden-Modi statement issued after their meeting on Thursday, “called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks.”
Also Read: Joint Statement of 5th China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue
“President Biden and Prime Minister Modi reiterated the call for concerted action against all UN-listed terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, ISIS/Da’esh, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizbul Mujhahideen,” the joint statement said.
The Foreign Office of Pakistan issued an upfront statement on Friday in response to the joint statement and termed it “contrary to diplomatic norms and has political overtones.”
“Today, we fail to see how the assertions made in the joint statement could strengthen the international resolve to fight terrorism,” the Foreign Office said. “It is thus completely ill-placed to cast any aspersions on Pakistan and its fight against terrorism,” FO added.
