The United States and India urged Pakistan Tuesday to do more to counter extremist groups operating from its soil as the world’s two largest democracies announced measures to strengthen security and energy ties.
Speaking on a visit to New Delhi, US Secretary of State John Kerry declared that ties once clouded by suspicion had progressed “amazingly” in the last two years and echoed President Barack Obama’s description of their relationship as “the defining partnership of the 21st century”.
After Foreign Minister Swaraj reiterated long-running accusations that Pakistan was “providing safe havens to terror groups”, Kerry also urged Islamabad to do more to combat extremists operating from its territory.
“We will not and we cannot make distinctions between good and bad terrorists... Terrorism is terrorism,” Kerry said at a press conference alongside Swaraj.
Kerry said the US government had “had conversations with all members of the region frankly about efforts they need to take against terrorism which comes out of their country”, adding that he had personally raised the issue with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Swaraj said there was “a meeting of minds” during her talks with Kerry on tackling the threats posed by extremists as she reiterated long-standing accusations that Pakistan was sponsoring “cross-border terrorism”.
Both sides said that there had been an agreement to step up cooperation on intelligence. “We agree on additional measures to strengthen our counter terrorism measures,” said Swaraj. “We will intensify intelligence sharing.”
In an illustration of the burgeoning cooperation, Kerry announced plans to revive trilateral talks between India, Afghanistan and the United States.
He also said there had been an agreement “to move forward” on long-standing plans for six nuclear reactors which he said would provide electricity to tens of millions of people, without giving more details.
The start of Kerry’s two-day visit came only hours after the two sides signed an agreement in Washington that allows access to each other’s military bases for repairs and re-supplies.
