Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan, terrorism discussed at Quad summit: India

India and the United States expressed concern over Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan and its involvement in terrorism during the Quad summit, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said. The issue was also raised during Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s bilateral discussions in the US, Shringla said while responding to a question on Pakistan’s support to terrorism during a press briefing in Washington.

He said, despite trying to present itself as a facilitator, Pakistan has actually been an instigator of some of the problems in its neighbourhood and beyond. There was a clear sense of the need for examining and monitoring Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan and terrorism by Quad or other partners, he said.

Also Read: PM Narendra Modi invites US VP Kamala Harris to visit India

Shringla said India and the United States also underscored the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan.

“I think there was clear concern in that regard on Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan and their continuing for a certain approach that did not seem to be conducive to the international community expectations of what Afghanistan should be like,” he said.

Also read: Gandhi’s values to talks on trade: Highlights from Modi-Biden bilateral talks

On Thursday, Shringla said that US Vice President Kamala Harris during her first-ever meeting with Modi, ‘suo moto’, referred to Pakistan’s role in terrorism and asked the country to stop supporting terror groups.

Harris also acknowledged the presence of terror groups in Pakistan, said Shringla when asked whether the issue of Pakistan emboldening Taliban came up during the discussion between Modi and Harris. The Indian prime minister arrived in Washington on Wednesday for a three-day visit to the US.

Modi arrived in New York to address the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly after attending the first in-person Quad summit hosted by US President Joe Biden in Washington.  

Shringla said that President Biden had backed India’s permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council during the summit, which was also attended by Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japan’s Yoshihide Suga.