Washington/ Islamabad: Pakistan has strongly criticised the joint statement issued by the United States and India following a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where they called on Pakistan to prevent its territory from being used as a launching pad for militant activities.

In response, Pakistan's foreign ministry denounced the joint statement issued by the US and India, deeming it "unwarranted, one-sided, and misleading”.

The ministry also disapproved of a reference to Islamabad in the statement, saying that it was contrary to diplomatic norms.

The joint US-Indian statement said, "They (Biden and Modi) strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks."

In his address to US Congress in Washington on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the “pressing danger” of radicalism and terrorism. PM Modi conveyed India’s stand on terrorism, stating that there could not be any ifs or buts in dealing with terrorism.

“More than two decades after 9/11 and more than a decade after 26/11 in Mumbai, radicalism and terrorism still remain a pressing danger for the whole world. These ideologies keep taking new identities and forms but their intentions are the same,” PM Modi told the US Congress.

According to Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, cross-border terrorism and the challenges posed by it in the Indo-Pacific region and the countermeasures US and India need to take to mitigate these challenges through cooperation, was one of the major points of the discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden.