Pakistan Calls India-US Joint Statement Unwarranted, One-Sided

Islamabad
In an aggressive response to a joint statement issued by India and the US earlier this week, Pakistan has termed it as unwarranted, one-sided and misleading and also called on President Joe Biden’s administration to check facts. The Foreign Office (FO) in Islamabad maintained that Pakistan-specific reference made in the joint statement was contrary to diplomatic norms and carried political overtones. We consider the Pakistan-specific reference in the joint statement issued on June 22, as unwarranted, one-sided, and misleading. The reference is contrary to diplomatic norms and has political overtones. We are surprised that it has been added despite Pakistan’s close counterterrorism cooperation with the US, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement. She also reminded the Biden administration about the sacrifices it has rendered in the ongoing fight against terrorism and how it as gained global and international recognition for its efforts. The international community has time and again recognized Pakistan’s efforts and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. It has long concluded that terrorism can be defeated through concerted and cooperative actions. Today, we fail to see how the assertions made in the joint statement could strengthen the international resolve to fight terrorism. The statement shows that the cooperative spirit, so vitally needed to defeat the scourge of terrorism, has been sacrificed at the altar of geopolitical considerations, the spokeswoman added. Pakistan also took the opportunity to re-state its anti-India narrative, calling the Modi government a state-sponsor of terrorism.