US cannot tolerate Pakistan becoming haven for terrorists: Nikki Haley

Haley, the US ambassador at the UN, said that India and her country share common democratic values and that the focus on defeating terrorism is equally desired by both.

New Delhi: In India on a two-day official visit, Nikki Haley on Thursday underlined the strong bond shared between the United States and India and targeted Pakistan for providing sanctuary to terrorist organisations.

Haley, the American ambassador at the United Nations, said that the US and India share common democratic values, traditions and a common vision to eradicate terrorism and it is this that binds the two countries together. "We share a commitment to defeating terrorism and the hateful ideology that motivates it," she said before taking on Pakistan. "The US values Pakistan as a partner but we cannot tolerate the state becoming a haven for terrorists and hope to see a change."

US-Pakistan relations have nosedived in recent months with the Donald Trump administration admonishing Islamabad for not acting against terrorist organisations like Haqqani Network which operate from its soil. A number of high-ranking US officials and diplomats have taken on Pakistan for being rather soft with Trump himself tweeting his anger at the country in a January 1 post.

Haley on Tuesday though mainly focused on growing bonhomie between the US and India, and pointed out that bilateral relations between the two are like no other. "The US seeks productive relationship with China. However, they do not share the same democratic values like us. Their expansion in the region without respect for rights unlike India will limit their relationship with the US," she said.

Haley, the highest ranking Indian-American official in the Trump administration, then went on to term India as a responsible nuclear state and said that the US support the country's bid to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).