India and the United States on Saturday called for bringing the perpetrators of the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai to justice.

The Lashkar-e-Taiba had carried out the terror attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, killing 166 people, which included six US citizens. The terror outfit’s co-founder, Hafiz Saeed, is a United Nations-designated terrorist. He is currently lodged in a high-security jail in Lahore.

On Saturday, a joint statement issued after a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden said the two countries will take concerted action against all terror groups, including those proscribed by the United Nations.

They censured any use of terrorist proxies and highlighted the importance of denying any “logistical, financial or military support to terrorist groups”.

The leaders also said that they looked forward to developing counter-terrorism technologies.

Modi and Biden also stressed on the importance of Taliban’s adherence to United Nations Security Council’s Resolution 2593, which says that Afghan territory must never be used for terrorist activities.

The resolution was adopted on August 30 – India’s last day of the Security Council’s presidency. The presidency of the Security Council rotates among 15 of its members in an alphabetical order.

Biden on Saturday appreciated India’s “strong leadership” at the Security Council.

“In this context, President Biden also reiterated US support for India’s permanent membership on a reformed UN Security Council and for other countries who are important champions of multilateral cooperation and aspire to permanent seats on the UN Security Council,” the statement said.

Currently, the UN Security Council comprises five permanent member countries – Russia, the United Kingdom, China, France and the US. There are 10 non-permanent member countries that are elected for a two-year term by the UN General Assembly.

India’s entry to Nuclear Suppliers Group

Biden also told Modi that the US supported India’s entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group – a conglomerate of 48 countries that regulates global nuclear commerce. Admission of new members is done through consensus of the existing members.

China has blocked India’s entry to the group since 2016, when India had applied for the membership. China has been insisting that only those countries which have signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty should be allowed to enter the organisation.

The treaty, which came into force in 1970, aims to ensure nuclear non-proliferation and facilitate the peaceful use of nuclear energy and nuclear disarmament. India has not signed the treaty till date.

In 2018, the United States said India met all the criteria to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group. Russia, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Norway have supported India’s bid for membership.