Pakistan hits back at US-India joint statement, accuses India of 'state terrorism in Kashmir'

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – Pakistan's defense minister slammed a joint statement issued by the US and Indian leaderships accusing Islamabad of "cross-border terrorism" and "terrorist proxies," saying the language is misleading and violates diplomatic norms.

Pakistan is still paying the price for being a frontline ally of the US in two Afghan wars, according to Khwaja Asif, who spoke in the lower house of parliament, lamenting that Washington has not recognized the country's sacrifices.

"We served as a frontline state during last 40-45 years in two American wars in Afghanistan and today we are paying the price for being an ally of America in their war," Asif told the National Assembly in response to the US-India joint statement.

"We brought terrorism inside our country because we were an ally of the US," he said.

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a joint statement following their talks in Washington in which they said the US and India stand together to counter global terrorism and unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations.

"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," according to the statement.

Asif accused the Indian prime minister of overseeing the killing of thousands of Muslims and the rape of women in the western Indian state of Gujarat when he was chief minister in 2002.

Reminding the US of the imposition of a visa ban on Modi due to his alleged “involvement in Gujarat riots and the killing of Muslims,” the defense minister added that New Delhi continued to carry out state terrorist activities in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

Asif called the joint statement ironic when it was made during the visit of a person who was barred from entering the country for the killing of minority Muslims.

He also criticized previous Pakistani governments for siding with the US in the wars in Afghanistan.

"For the US, war is an investment, but for us it was destruction," the defense minister claimed.

Elections are coming up in the country, and whoever forms the next government should pursue stable relations with the US while putting the country's interests first, he said.​​​​​​​