Sushma Swaraj paves the way for Modi with US acknowledging Pak-based terror

The Narendra Modi government has hit the ground running in its high-level engagement with the United States which has just started. The first such Indo-US engagement—the Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in Washington– has reaped rich dividends from the Indian viewpoint. The US has acknowledged threats posed by such Pakistan-based terror outfits as Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Haqanni Network and The infamous D-Company of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, all of which are India-specific. The US-India Joint Declaration on Combating Terrorism has specifically mentioned all the terror outfits responsible for much bloodshed in India and abroad.

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This is definitely an achievement and a notable concrete deliverable from the Indian standpoint.

Here are the relevant excerpts from the Joint Declaration on Combating Terrorism after the inaugural India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialogue between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Secretary of State John Kerry: - Reaffirm the commitment of India and the United States to combat terrorism in all its forms, which constitutes a profound threat to global peace and security, and to uphold our common values of democracy, justice, and the rule of law; - Reiterate the threat posed by entities such as Al-Qa’ida and its affiliates, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, D Company, and the Haqqani Network, and other regional groups that seek to undermine stability in South Asia; - Call for Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attack. This achievement is greater if one considers the outcome from the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue held in Islamabad in January this year. The talks had not made any accusations against India. ( Read the full document here) The joint statement focused largely on Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts centred around the Af-Pak region, particularly the the efforts against terror outfits active in the Afghanistan-Pakistan belt. The biggest takeaway from the maiden US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, therefore, is that Washington looks at Pakistan as a country where jihadists are running amok. In the case of India, it is largely being seen as the one facing the effect of terror groups. The statement shows that the US has effectively stopped putting India and Pakistan in the same grouping on the terror front. It shows that while the Americans are looking at a major problem in export of the jihadist brand of terror, it looks at India as a part of the solution rather than a problem. It also hints at America’s growing frustration with Pakistan on the issue of terror and that India is being kept involved by the US as someone who is fighting terrorism, rather than as the go-to guy for making complaints. The strategic dialogue between Sushma Swaraj and John Kerry sets the stage for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much awaited summit with President Obama on 28 September. One can expect Modi to build further on Pakistan’s sins of omission and commission on the terror issue during his summit with Obama.