US returns to push for India-Pak friendship after PM Modi remarks on terror

A file photo of PM Narendra Modi.

The Joe Biden administration on April 16 responded to recent statements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in which they asserted that India would not hesitate to target terrorists in their houses. The US stated that while it has encouraged New Delhi and Islamabad to avoid escalating tensions and pursue resolution through dialogue, it would refrain from intervening in the matter.

During a press conference, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller was questioned about India's readiness to combat terrorism. Miller reaffirmed the US' position, saying, "As I have said before, America is not going to get into the middle of this. But we do encourage both India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue."

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Miller emphasised that he would never preview any sanction actions and highlighted that the US does not openly discuss sanctions. When questioned about why the US has not imposed any sanctions on India regarding the alleged assassination plot of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Miller said, "I am never going to preview any sanction actions, which is not to say that there are any coming, but when you ask me to talk about sanctions, it's something that we don't discuss openly."

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When questioned about whether PM Modi and Defence Minister Singh's comments could be interpreted as "confessions" regarding various incidents, including the alleged assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, the designated terrorist Pannun's murder-for-hire plot in New York, and killings in Pakistan, Miller reiterated that the US would not intervene in the matter.

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Pannun is designated as a terrorist by India and has frequently issued threats against the country. According to the indictment from the US Justice Department, an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, currently in custody, has been charged with the murder-for-hire plot targeting Pannun.

PM Modi on April 11 said that during the BJP government's tenure at the Centre over the last 10 years, "terrorists are being killed in their own homes." Addressing a public rally in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh, the PM emphasised the crucial decisions enacted by his administration, with particular emphasis on the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir under the NDA regime.

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Earlier this month, Singh issued a firm statement outlining India's strategy to counter terrorism across its borders, asserting that if terrorists attempt to disrupt peace in India or perpetrate acts of terror, a fitting response will be delivered. Furthermore, the defence emphasised that if these terrorists flee to Pakistan, New Delhi will take proactive measures, including entering the neighboring country, to eliminate them.