Cold neighbours: India’s ‘sanctuary’ cries start afresh
India on Monday used the death of Osama bin Laden to denounce rival Pakistan as a terrorist “sanctuary,” as it renewed calls for Islamabad to arrest suspects behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
“We believe that the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack, including the controllers and handlers of the terrorists who actually carried out the attack, continue to be sheltered in Pakistan,” said a statement issued by the Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram. “We once again call upon the Government of Pakistan to arrest the persons whose names and voice samples have been handed over to the interior minister of Pakistan.”
Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna repeated the sentiments, indicating that India was going to demand even more strongly that Pakistan hand over the planners and handlers of the lone surviving Mumbai attacks gunman Ajmal Kasab and his team.
Terming Bin Laden’s killing as a “victorious milestone” in the global war against terrorism, Krishna said that the world “must not let down” its united effort to eliminate the safe havens that have been provided to terrorists in our own neighbourhood.
“President Obama has just announced that his government has conducted a successful operation that has resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden deep inside Pakistan,” he said.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged Islamabad to take action against militants.
“The international community and Pakistan in particular must work comprehensively to end the activities of all such groups who threaten civilised behaviour and kill innocent men, women and children,” Singh said.
The premier said he hoped Osama’s killing would deal a “decisive blow to al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.”
The same message was hammered home by Defence Minister AK Antony, who said Pakistan had a long history of denying evidence it was aiding militant groups. “This incident establishes Pakistan has been sheltering terrorists,” he told reporters.
Lalit Mansingh, a former ambassador to the United States, said US President Barack Obama’s mention of Pakistani cooperation was possibly aimed at deflecting any criticism that the US operation could have infringed Pakistani sovereignty.
“Pakistan is going to have to answer some uncomfortable questions arising from this, not least of which is how Osama was able to hide so close to Islamabad for so long,” Mansingh told AFP. “One suspects he must have had some help from figures in the Pakistani establishment,” he added.
Elsewhere, Maulana Khalid Rasheed, who heads a top Islamic seminary in the Indian city of Lucknow, welcomed Osama’s killing. “Anyone familiar with the basic tenets of Islam would vouch that this religion firmly believes in peace and vehemently opposes violence and terrorism,” the cleric added. (With additional input from AFP)
Published in The Express Tribune, May 3rd, 2011.
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