India has claimed that US President Joe Biden and other world leaders have agreed to keep a careful eye on Pakistan as Islamabad continues to play a central role in promoting peace and stability in Pakistan.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his first in-person meeting with Biden. The Biden-Modi meet followed a broader “Quad” summit with the leaders of Australia and Japan.
Talking to reporters, India’s Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that Modi shared concerns about extremist elements in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover last month.
Shringla made baseless claims of Pakistan being the “instigator” of trouble in Afghanistan. He said, “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.”
Indian Foreign Secretary said that the Quad will keep track of the “important point which sometimes gets overlooked when you see Pakistan projecting itself as a facilitator whereas it has really been in many senses an instigator of some of the problems in our neighbourhood and beyond.”
India’s desperation makes sense as it was one of the most enthusiastic backers of the pro-Western government in Afghanistan that collapsed last month as the US and NATO withdrew their troops after 20 years of war.
When the US invaded Afghanistan in order to destroy Al-Qaeda after the September 11 attacks, Pakistan backed its Cold War ally, the United States. However, the US officials have maintained their accusations against Islamabad’s powerful intelligence services that they maintain support for the Taliban. Pakistan denies the accusations. Experts believe that what friendly relations Pakistan has with Afghan elements are to counter the Indian influence in Afghanistan, which has resulted in Indian-backed terrorist activities in Pakistan.
Despite Modi’s latest overture to the US, Washington has publicly welcomed Pakistani efforts including its help bringing the Taliban into ultimately unsuccessful talks with the fallen Afghan government.
Earlier on Thursday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Pakistan for helping US citizens leave Afghanistan. His Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi promised to work to “achieve our common objective.”
Modi’s extremist Hindutva nationalist government has had tense relations with Pakistan, which it accuses of fomenting attacks on Indian soil, although earlier this year he called for cordial relations with Pakistan.
