Letter to Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India - Condolences

Letter

Dear Prime Minister Modi:

As co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus, we write to express our support for India and to strongly condemn the recent terrorist attack at the army base near Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. We would like to express our deep condolences to you, the soldiers who were injured in this heinous attack, and the families of those who were killed. We stand with you and the people of India as we fight the global scourge of terrorists who seek to destroy our way of life and our values and threaten our democratic societies.

We are greatly concerned about initial indications that the perpetrators of this attack were Pakistani and that the attack emanated from Pakistan. If true, this attack would be just the latest in a series of deadly attacks in India conducted by Pakistan-based terrorist groups. We call on the Government of Pakistan to cooperate fully and transparently in this investigation and prosecute any individuals within its territory that participated in this horrendous attack.

Pakistan's possible involvement in this attack underscores our broader concern about Pakistan's use of terrorism as a pillar of its foreign policies toward Afghanistan and India. As many credible experts have noted, such groups as the Haqqani network, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammad still operate freely in Pakistan, launching attacks not only on India but also on U.S. personnel and interests in Afghanistan. That such terrorist groups continue to operate within Pakistan is unacceptable, and we will work within Congress to pressure Pakistan to end any association with these terrorist groups targeting India, put a stop to their cross-border incursions, and take active and immediate steps to reign in homegrown terrorists

The continued threat of terrorism that both India and the United States face highlights the critical need to ensure that we continue to expand U.S.-India bilateral defense, intelligence and counterterrorism cooperation. We welcome the declaration of India as a major defense partner, last year's signing of the Defense Framework Agreement, and continued deepening of the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative. Similarly, we are pleased by the finalization of an arrangement to facilitate the sharing of terrorist screening information and the progress made by the U.S.-India Counterterrorism Joint Working Group and the Homeland Security Dialogue. We will continue to support these and other initiatives that will increase U.S. partnership with India against terrorism.

Again, we extend our condolences to India after the losses at Uri. Please know that the Senate India Caucus stands with you, and that we will not allow terrorists to sway our shared commitment to fostering greater peace and promoting democracy in the region.

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