Heat on Pakistan as Modi, Trump pledge to fight terror
PM IN AMERICA US President says India now has a true friend in White House
WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump pushed Pakistan to ensure its territory was not used for attacks against other countries, a blunt indictment of Islamabad that signalled a new determination in the two leaders to fight terrorism.
In another important nod to India’s concerns over China’s One Belt One Road project, Washington agreed that any infrastructure for regional connectivity must ensure “respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
While there were no announcements of major deals, a joint statement confirmed the sale of naval drones to India that Washington has never sold to a non-NATO country, and which New Delhi can use to watch over China’s maritime moves.
In a first meeting that was closely watched for their personal chemistry, the two leaders appeared keen to show they got along, with Modi reaching out to hug Trump three times in the White House Rose Garden before cameras.
Trump was also warm but his comments on trade betrayed some areas of chill. Under pressure to expand US exports and create more jobs at home, he called for a trading relationship with India that was “fair and reciprocal”. Last year the U.S. trade deficit with India was close to $31 billion.
But mutual areas of divergence – from H1B visa for Indian technology workers and US worries over Indian patent laws to America’s role in climate change – were largely left to officials to thrash out behind closed doors.
In the evening, Modi became the first foreign leader to enjoy a White House dinner since Trump came to power, although the US President has held more highprofile meetings and dinging with China and Japan’s leaders at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
“During my campaign, I pledged that if elected, India would have a true friend in the White House. And that is now exactly what you have — a true friend,” Trump said with a beaming Modi by his side.
The Indian prime minister too was effusive in hailing the ties with Washington.
“My visit and our talks today will mark a very important page in the history of the collaboration and cooperation between our two nations,” he said.“I am sure that the convergence between my vision for a “new India and President Trump’s vision for “making America great again” will add new dimensions to our cooperation.”
Modi and Trump first met privately for 40 minutes, double the allotted time, and then were joined by their aides for a longer meeting at the end of which the two sides found common cause to push back against China’s maritime ambitions and Pakistan’s dalliance with terrorism.
The leaders urged Pakistan to ensure terrorists didn’t operate from its soil and to “expeditiously bring to justice” those involved in the 26/11 Mumbai, Pathankot and “other cross-border terrorist attacks carried out by Pakistanbased groups”, the joint statement said.
Trump said the two were determined to destroy terrorist organisations and the radical ideology that drove them.
“We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism,” he said.
The joint statement echoed Indian objections to the One Belt, One Road initiative but without naming either China or the project.
India has objected to the China’s ambitious plan for a new Silk Route as the centrepiece of the project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which New Delhi says challenges its sovereignty by lending legitimacy to Pakistan’s claim over PoK.
Analysts felt given that this was a first meeting between the two leaders, it was a strong start that signalled continuity on key issues. “India got what it wanted from the United States on terrorism, defence technology, strategic cooperation in the Indian Ocean, and clean energy,” said Ashley Tellis, a South Asia expert with Carnegie and former official of the George W Bush administration. “The United States registered its interest in free and fair trade, in completing the sale of nuclear reactors to India, and in increasing market access in India.”
Indian officials appeared pleased with the meeting.
“I would say it was one of the most productive visits I have seen to the United States,” foreign secretary S Jaishankar told reporters.