India raises tone as Pakistan appeals to work with Taliban
WASHINGTON, Sept 25, ( AFP) - India upbraided Pakistan both in Washington and at the United Nations as Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan appealed to the world to work with Afghanistan's triumphant Taliban.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised concerns about Pakistan during talks with US President Joe Biden as well as a broader four- way summit with the leaders of Australia and Japan, according to Indian officials, who said the others concurred.
“There was a clear sense that a more careful look and a more careful examination and monitoring of Pakistan's role in Afghanistan -- Pakistan's role on the issue of terrorism -- had to be kept,” Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla told reporters after the White House talks.
Khan, addressing the UN General Assembly, said that the Taliban have promised to respect human rights and build an inclusive government since tak
ing over last month, despite global disappointment in a caretaker cabinet.
Khan spent much of his speech defending the record of Pakistan, which was the main supporter of the Taliban's 1996-2001 regime that imposed an ultra- austere interpretation of Islam and welcomed Al-Qaeda, triggering the US invasion.
Khan, a longstanding critic of the 20- year US war ended by President Joe Biden, blamed imprecise US drone strikes for the flareup of extremism inside Pakistan and pointed to Islamabad's cooperation with US forces.
Khan accused a world eager for India's billion-plus market of giving “complete impunity” to Modi in a speech that was loaded even for Pakistan, which routinely castigates India at the UN. “The hate- filled Hindutva ideology, propagated by the fascist RSS-BJP regime, has unleashed a reign of fear and violence against India's 200 million-strong Muslim community,” Khan said.
While India often ignores Pakistan's statements, a young Indian diplomat responded from the General Assembly floor. Sneha Dubey, a first secretary at India's UN mission, said: “We keep hearing that Pakistan is a victim of terrorism. This is the country which is an arsonist disguising itself as a firefighter.”