Quad’s veiled reference to Pakistan amid call for joint action against terror groups

In a joint statement issued after the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in Tokyo, Japan, the Quad ministers unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism.

Quad meeting:The Quad countries on Monday called on countries around the world to take immediate, sustained and irreversible measures against all UN-designated terrorist groups, including Pakistan-based organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and their proxies.

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In a veiled reference to Pakistan, the Quad organisation, comprising four countries including India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan, has called on countries to take joint action against terrorist organisations listed on the UN and prevent their territories from being used for terrorist purposes.

In a joint statement issued after the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting in Tokyo, Japan, the Quad ministers “unequivocally” condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism.

“We once again strongly condemn the terrorist attacks, including the Mumbai and Pathankot attacks of 26/11, and call for the perpetrators of these attacks to be brought to justice without delay,” the statement said.

The ministers deplored the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, tunnels and information and communication technologies by terrorists and terrorist organisations.

The group called on all countries to take immediate, lasting and irreversible measures to prevent the territory under their control from being used for terrorist purposes.

“We reiterate the call for joint action against all UN-designated terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and their proxies,” the statement said, without naming any country.

India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of harbouring feared terrorist groups including al-Qaeda, JeM, LeT and their allies.

The Quad member states said they were committed to working together to promote accountability for perpetrators of terrorist attacks and support their implementation, including through national appropriation of UN Security Council resolutions as they relate to sanctions.

“We are committed to international cooperation and work comprehensively and sustainably with our international and regional partners to strengthen their capacity to prevent, detect and respond to threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism, including those posed by the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes,” the joint statement said.

The Quad foreign ministers welcomed the fruitful discussions held during the first meeting of the Quad Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and the fourth table-top exercise in Honolulu in December 2023. They looked forward to Japan hosting the next meeting and table-top exercise in November 2024.

(With PTI inputs)