Lashkar-e-Toiba flays Pakistan PM for promising action against it
By Charles Farwell –
November 3, 2015
US President Barack Obama and Pakistan’s prime minister issued a joint call for the Taliban to return to peace talks with the Afghan government, as the pair stressed the positives of a troubled alliance Thursday.
Obama and Sharif underlined that improvement in Pakistan- India bilateral relations would “greatly enhance” prospects for lasting peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, according to the statement.
They discussed Pakistan’s resolve to take effective action against United Nations-designated terrorist individuals and entities, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its affiliates.
From Lalit K Jha Washington, October 23 (PTI) The United States has made it clear to Pakistan that it must take action against all terror groups without discriminating and also firmly ruled out any role for itself in Indo-Pak peace process unless both the countries jointly ask for it. While the joint statement notes “mutual concerns of terrorism”, it says both sides should work out ways of addressing these and all other outstanding issues, including Kashmir, through bilateral dialogue.
Obama was also briefed about the progress Pakistan has been making on the economic front, with positive indicators, duly acknowledged by global rating agencies.
In response to another question, Shultz said, “the President deeply values his relationship with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi; that the United States and India have worked together very closely”.
She said the money will help build more than a dozen schools, rehabilitate hundreds of facilities, and provide training and scholarships to help Pakistani girls “fulfill their promise” to become the next generation of doctors, teachers, and entrepreneurs.
Pakistan insists smaller tactical nuclear weapons would deter a sudden attack by India, which is also a nuclear power, but Washington worries they may further destabilize an already volatile region because their smaller size makes them more tempting to use in a conventional war. “We believe that that’s best addressed through continued dialogue between the two countries”, he said.
Talks between India and Pakistan have been a major point of confrontation, being called off at various levels over what India claims is Pakistan’s insistence on dragging in Kashmir.
Answering a query on sale of advanced fighter jets to Pakistan, he said India’s reservation to supply of such was well known.
He said that terrorism comes naturally to mind when talking about Pakistan and the joint statement, issued by the Pakistan foreign office after Sharif met US President Barack Obama in Washington, devotes considerable space to that particular issue.
