Washington/New Delhi: The govt on Thursday warned China against attempts to interfere in India's internal affairs after Beijing unsuccessfully initiated a discussion in the UN Security Council on Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, the government said that this was not the first time that China has sought to raise a subject that is solely an internal matter of India.
"As on previous such occasions, this attempt too met with little support from the international community. We firmly reject China's interference in our internal affairs and urge it to draw proper conclusions from such unfructuous attempts," the government said.
The government on Wednesday received a letter of support from the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs which held China responsible for the aggression along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.
Chairman and Ranking Democrat Member Eliot Engel and Ranking Republican Member Michael McCaul, wrote jointly on behalf of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, saying that they wanted to demonstrate the strong bipartisan support for the US-India relationship.
"Members of both parties recognize the impact that a strong US-India partnership will have on the trajectory of the 21st century. As Prime Minister Modi said in February of this year, our ties 'are no longer just another partnership. It is far greater and closer relationship.' This closer relationship is all the more important as India faces aggression from China along your shared border, which is part of the Chinese government's consistent pattern of unlawful and belligerent territorial aggression across the Indo-Pacific.
"The United States will remain steadfast in support of India's efforts to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the letter addressed to Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar said.
The US House Committee in its letter also acknowledged the "ongoing serious security and counterterrorism concerns" in Jammu & Kashmir and said that it looks forward to "working with" Indian government to "address these concerns while upholding our shared commitments to the democratic values and freedoms on which our countries' bond was built".
However, the letter said that it is because of its support for the India-US bilateral relationship that "we note with concern that conditions in Jammu & Kashmir have not normalized one year after India's repeal of Article 370 and the establishment of Jammu & Kashmir as a Union Territory".
The Committee recalled that Prime Minister Modi said earlier this year, "Unity in diversity and unity's vibrancy is the key to a strong relationship between India and America. The committee said that it was looking forward to working with the Indian government to continue to strengthen and advance this vibrant and consequential relationship."
New Delhi: India is likely to highlight Pakistan's inaction on curbing terror financing in the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary scheduled to be held in October this year.
With deadlines looming, Pakistan is yet to comply with 13 conditions out of the 27-point Action Plan of the FATF including curbing terror financing, enforcement of the laws against the proscribed organisations and improving the legal systems.
New Delhi may raise Islamabad's inaction in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and Pulwama terror attack cases. It may also raise the Daniel Pearl murder case.
Pakistan has been on the FATF grey list since June 2018.
Last month, Financial Monitoring Unit Director-General Lubna Farooq told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance that the country is still fully compliant on 14 out of the 27-point Action Plan and said it will have to submit an implementation report on the remaining points in the next eight days, reported Express Tribune.Islamabad also has to comply with 30 recommendations of the FATF. The committee expressed serious concern over the non-serious attitude of the government to settle matters relating to the FATF. Pakistan will have to demonstrate the effectiveness of sanctions including remedial actions to curb terrorist financing in the country, it will have to ensure improved effectiveness against terror financing by financial institutions particularly for banned outfits. It is yet to take actions against illegal Money or Value Transfer Services (MVTS) such as hundi-hawala.
Pakistan will have to place the sanction regime against cash couriers. The country will have to ensure a logical conclusion from the ongoing terror financing investigation of law enforcing agencies (LEAs) against banned outfits and proscribed persons.
Pakistani authorities need to ensure international cooperation based investigations and convictions against banned organisations and proscribed persons.
Earlier, India had said that Pakistan continuing to be in FATF 'Grey List' vindicates its position that Islamabad has not taken appropriate action against terror financing and safe havens which exist in that country.
