India, US call for perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot terrorist attacks to be brought to justice

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In a statement after the Counterterrorism Joint Working Group (CTJWG) and 6th Designations Dialogue, India and the United States have strongly called for the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot terrorist attacks to be brought to justice. The 20th meeting of CTJWG and 6th Designations Dialogue took place on March 5 in Washington D.C.

The two countries, as they held the dialogue, also called for concerted action against all terrorist groups, including those proscribed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) 1267 Sanctions Committee– al-Qaida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official release.

Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State, and India’s Joint Secretary Counter Terrorism at the Ministry of External Affairs, Ambassador K.D. Dewal, led their respective inter-agency delegations.

“The United States and India emphasized the extraordinary value and durability of the US-India comprehensive global and strategic partnership and renewed their commitments to countering terrorism and promoting regional security as an integral part of their broader bilateral cooperation,” the release said.

Both sides reiterated that terrorism remains a serious threat to international peace and security.

“The participation of delegates from a wide array of departments and agencies from both countries illustrated that the United States and India recognize that countering terrorism requires an inclusive and holistic approach. This approach depends on bilateral coordination between our agencies to ensure productive information sharing and facilitate security, stability, and growth in both countries and throughout the region,” the release read.

Both sides “reviewed emerging threats and tactics in terrorism, including the use of the internet and new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes, international movement of terrorists, terrorist recruitment, the financing of terrorist activities, and radicalization to violence and violent extremism,” it said.

The two sides committed to information sharing, capacity building and continued bilateral and multilateral efforts to address these threats, according to MEA.

“The two sides committed to strengthening law enforcement and judicial partnerships in support of the rule of law, including through information sharing and enhanced cooperation on mutual legal assistance requests, and also exchanged information regarding priorities and procedures for designating various terrorist entities/ groups and individuals,” the MEA added.

US, and India reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation in the Quad Counterterrorism Working Group and other multilateral fora and processes such as the United Nations, the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for advancing shared security interests within the region while supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.