World needs India's leadership in countering terror: US

NEW DELHI: The Obama administration has recently delivered a "very tough" message to Pakistan asking it to dismantle safe havens of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e- Mohammed and Haqqani network operating from its soil, outgoing US envoy to New Delhi Richard Verma said today.

Holding that India faces a "daunting challenge" from these Pakistan-based terror groups and hailing New Delhi's efforts to deal with the menace, the envoy said the world needs India's leadership in countering terrorism.

Verma, who demits office ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday, said the US also told the Pakistani leadership to come down hard on perpetrators of cross-border terrorism including in Afghanistan.

Talking about Indo-US cooperation in counter-terror efforts, he said intelligence sharing between the two strategic partners has reached "unprecedented level" which helped Indian secutrity agencies thwart various threats.

Asked about what exactly the Obama administration told Pakistan recently regarding Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Haqqani network, Verma told an event organised by a think tank, "We have taken a very tough line on these terrorist groups operating from Pakistani soil."

He said the message to the Pakistani leadership has been a "very tough and concerted" one, adding Islamabad has been told to eliminate the safe havens of the terrorist groups, shut down their cross border activities and take action against the perpetrators of terror.

Talking about threat of terror India was facing, he said, "On the Western front, India faces a daunting challenge of terrorist groups operating from inside Pakistan. Some of these groups including LeT and Haqqani network, and JeM also targeted the US and Afghan security forces in Afghanistan."