Now, Pak makes demands on India

Monday, January 19, 2009 at 3:01 am

Even as Pakistan demonstrated visible signs of cracking under pressure, in a desperate attempt at pushing India onto the back foot, the Pakistan Government on Sunday (Jan 18) made some demands saying India needs to respond positively to proposals for fighting terror.

Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani who has been taking tough with New Delhi ever since the 26/11 attacks has once again hit back.

Responding to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement during the Economic Times Award ceremony in Mumbai, Gilani said that the onus was equally on New Delhi to respond to Islamabad’s proposals for what he termed were pragmatic and constructive engagement on countering terrorism.

“Instead of placing the onus for India’s security on Pakistan, we expect the Indian government to respond positively to our proposals for pragmatic and constructive engagement on countering terrorism … We have on our own initiated a series of actions. These have been shared with India through diplomatic channels”, Gilani said.

Islamabad has called for a joint probe into the Mumbai attacks, which New Delhi has blamed on Pakistan-based elements, including the Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group.

However, though Gilani kept up the pressure on India his colleagues in the cabinet went the extra mile to assure India of their commitment to expose the conspiracy behind the 26/11 attacks and bring the suspects to book.

Prime Minister, Yousuf Reza Gilani, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi and the man touted to be Zardari’s mouthpiece; Interior Minister Rehman Mallik’s statements have been at best tangential.

In Islamabad today both the Pakistan foreign minister and interior affairs minister pledged to leave no stone unturned in investigating the 26/11 terror plot.

Asserting that all the “culprits” behind the Mumbai attacks “must be apprehended”, Pakistan on Sunday (Jan 18) said Indian investigators will “be more than welcomed” to help in its probe into the terror strikes. Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik also said anyone found to be involved in the “heinous” attacks would be prosecuted under the country’s anti-terror laws.

Malik’s comments came a day after he acknowledged that the evidence about Mumbai terror attacks given to Pakistan by India contained “leads and good clues”. “All the culprits (involved in the Mumbai attacks) must be apprehended. Who will support such acts?” he told reporters in Lahore today after a meeting to brief opposition PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, about Pakistan’s probe.

Earlier, during an interview with Geo News channel, Malik said Pakistan’s investigations into the Mumbai attacks are being conducted under the country’s laws and the government will not accept any foreign pressure in this regard. He said no assistance would be sought from foreign countries though Indian investigators will “be more than welcomed” to help in the probe.

“Pakistan is very open and the inquiry officers have been bestowed with full powers to fulfil their task,” Malik said. India should reciprocate Pakistan’s gestures in the same spirit and allow Pakistani investigators to travel to the neighbouring country, he indicated. The Pakistani inquiry “cannot proceed without the provision of legally tangible evidence”, he remarked.

If anyone is found to be involved in the “heinous” attacks, the person would be prosecuted under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act, the interior ministry chief said. Malik also told the channel that if India persisted with its demand for the extradition of Pakistani nationals allegedly linked to the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan would seek the handing over of persons involved in the 2007 bombing of the Samjhauta Express train.

After reports appeared in Indian media suggesting a possible link of the Malegaon blast accused with the train attack, political leaders here have been saying that the government should seek the extradition of Indian nationals, including Col S K Purohit, for the bombing of the cross-border train that killed nearly 70 people, including Pakistanis.

“If the Indian demand for handing over the accused in the Mumbai attacks persisted, then the accused of the Samjhauta Express case might be asked for” by Pakistan, Malik said. Replying to a question about Indian fears of Talibanisation of the region, he urged Indian authorities to share their findings in this regard with Pakistan and cooperate with it in its bid to exterminate terrorism and extremism from South Asia.

He also said Pakistan is part of the world community and a member of various international forums and is thus bound to fulfil its international obligations. Malik told the media in Lahore that action had also been taken against outlawed groups like the Jamaat-ud-Dawah by the provincial government of Punjab.

“Don’t forget, (the Jamaat’s headquarters at) Muridke is in Punjab (and) major action has been taken by the government of Punjab,” he said. Malik said he would meet leaders of other political parties soon to brief them on Pakistan’s probe into the Mumbai attacks.

The conciliatory talk from Islamabad comes on the back of sustained pressure by India on Pakistan to get it to toe its line on terror. In fact highly placed sources in the Indian government told TIMES NOW that Pakistan is wilting under the tremendous pressure applied by New Delhi and has been left with no choice but to co-operate. (Read more)

(With inputs from agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Now, Pak makes demands on India

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