US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined her Indian counterpart on Tuesday in pressing Pakistan to do more to combat terror networks as they vowed to step up joint efforts against extremism.
“We look to the government of Pakistan to do more,” Clinton told a press conference in India, a day after she said al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri was believed to be hiding in Pakistan. “It needs to make sure its territory is not used as a launching pad for terrorist attacks anywhere, including inside Pakistan,” she added. “Combating violent extremism is something we all agree on,” Clinton said. “We’re going to be pushing that,” she said. She said the US was “cooperating closely with India regarding the threats that emanate against them”. Clinton said the US would go after terrorists in Pakistan if they posed a threat to America, Afghanistan or their allies in the region.
Three of the top five militants on the US most-wanted list are believed to be in Pakistan, including al Qaeda chief Zawahiri and the leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Omar. Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna also stressed “the need for stronger action from Pakistan on terrorism, including on bringing to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attacks”. “Recent attacks in Kabul highlight once again the need for elimination of terrorist sanctuaries in the neighborhood,” Krishna said. Clinton said the US and India were deepening security cooperation, while Krishna detailed how they already shared intelligence and expertise.
Washington must overcome deep suspicion in South Asia between arch-foes Pakistan and India as it seeks Islamabad’s help with the war in Afghanistan while looking to deepen diplomatic and commercial links with New Delhi. On the Indo-US nuclear deal, Krishna said he had assured Clinton of India’s commitment to provide a level-playing field to all US companies, within the framework of its national law and international legal obligations. Meanwhile, the US State Department said the US wanted to see Hafiz Saeed brought to justice whether he was tried in a Pakistani court or in a US court or wherever. Spokesman Mark Toner said the US desire that Pakistan secure the conviction of the founder of Laskhar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) in connection with the Mumbai attack was the reason why it recently announced a reward of $10 million to anyone for information leading to his trial in a court of law.
India joins US in ‘do more’ mantra
