India and EU for ‘decisive’ action against terrorists
Joint call for action against Pakbased LeT and Dawood is seen as win for Delhi
NEW DELHI: India and the EU agreed on Friday to intensify cooperation for “decisive” action against banned terrorist individuals and groups, including Pakistan-based Hafiz Saeed, Dawood Ibrahim, LeT and JeM, which were bracketed with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
The EU joined India in condemning terror attacks in Pathankot, Uri, Nagrota, Anantnag and Srinagar alongside assaults in Paris, Brussels, Nice, London and Manchester. The two sides recalled the Mumbai attacks and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The call for joint efforts to target groups such as Lashkar-eTaiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed and terrorists such as Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim was seen in diplomatic circles as a win for New Delhi, which had lobbied the 28-member bloc on this issue.
Though the joint statement on cooperation in combating terrorism, issued after the India-EU Summit in New Delhi, did not name Pakistan, the mention of the LeT, JeM, Haqqani Network and Hizbul Mujahideen left no doubt which country was being referred to.
“The leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation to take decisive and concerted actions against… Hafeez Saeed, Zaki-urRehman Lakhvi, Dawood Ibrahim, Lashkar-e-Tayibba, Jaish-eMohammad, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Haqqani Network, Al Qaeda, ISIS (Da’esh) and their affiliates,” the statement said.
The two sides also discussed ways to strengthen trade ties during the annual summit between PM Narendra Modi and the top EU leadership. However, there was no headway on a much-delayed free trade pact.
European Commission Presi- dent Jean-Claude Juncker, who met Modi with European Council president Donald Tusk, said discussions will resume when conditions are right. “Today’s summit is an important step in the right direction,” he said.
The two sides held deliberations on bilateral, regional and international issues, including the Rohingya crisis and the situation in the Korean peninsula.
“We have agreed to strengthen our security cooperation and work together against terrorism,” Modi told a joint news interaction with the EU leaders.
Tusk said the two sides agreed to counter extremism and radicalisation, particularly online, and to deal with foreign terrorist fighters and terror financing.
Juncker said the two sides should step up work to ensure free flow of data, but emphasised high standards of data protection as a precondition for exchanging personal data freely and fully.
After the summit, the two sides inked three pacts, including one on an international solar alliance.