Singh pushes for crackdown on militants

India accuses Pak of failing to crack down sufficiently on militant groups that operate from bases on its territory.

NEW DEHLI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh marked India’s Independence Day on Sunday with a warning to Pakistan that a recent resumption of dialogue would go nowhere unless Islamabad cracks down on militancy.

“As far as Pakistan is concerned, we expect that they will not let their territory be used for acts of terrorism against India,” Singh said. “If this is not done, we cannot progress far in our dialogue with Pakistan,” Singh added.

India accuses Pakistan of failing to crack down sufficiently on militant groups that operate from bases on its territory, such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which New Delhi blames for the Mumbai carnage. Pakistan denies the charge.

The prime minister gave his annual address from the ramparts of the Red Fort in the Indian capital, which had been turned into a virtual fortress with nearly 80,000 police and troops guarding against a possible militant strike.

In New Delhi, police shut down public car parks, closed markets and declared a temporary no-fly zone to prevent aerial attacks on the main Independence Day venue. The US warned in an advisory last week of a risk of attacks by militants in Indian cities.

Regretting the loss of lives recently in Indian Kashmir, Singh said his government stood ready to talk with all parties in Kashmir once calm had been restored. “The years of violence should now end. Such violence will not benefit anyone,” he said.

Pointing to strong economic growth despite the global financial crisis, Singh said India with its vibrant democracy had become “an example for many other countries to emulate.” Our country is viewed with respect all over the world. Our views command international attention,” he said.

Conditions for talks

Responding to Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna’s invitation to visit India, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said he would accept it if the talks are to be “result-oriented”, covering all issues of importance, including Kashmir.

He stressed the need for “positive and constructive approach” after his July 15 talks with Krishna ended on a bitter note, particularly on Kashmir and allegations of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, the Press Trust of India reported.

Qureshi said Pakistan is ready to walk the “extra mile” as it wants to “move forward” in building relations with India but insisted that the two countries need to be “mutually accommodative”.

Pressing for a “comprehensive and sustained” engagement, he maintained that the Kashmir issue would have to be the part of any discussions and a “selective” approach would not be helpful.

Asked whether the efforts to bridge the trust gap had received a serious blow during his July 15 talks with Krishna, Qureshi said: “It is true that we have not been able to map the future course of engagement. This, however, does not mean that we have closed doors,” he added.

“We need to be mutually accommodative. As in India, there is also democracy in Pakistan. We cannot overlook our public opinion, which on some core issues is quite strong,” the foreign minister said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2010.