India trip: Malik claims bridging trust deficit, re-invites Singh
Invites Indian investigators to probe Mumbai attacks.
NEW DELHI:
Amidst a general sense of ‘disappointment’ amongst Indian officials regarding his ‘loose’ statements, Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and extended an invitation to the Indian premier to visit Pakistan.
During the meeting, issues relating to voice samples of those involved in the Mumbai attack and punishments for those imprisoned for the attack were discussed.
Malik also reminded Singh of the long-standing invitation to visit Pakistan and said people in Manmohan Singh’s native Chakwal district were eager to meet him. The interior minister said his compatriots would be extremely disappointed if Singh decided not to visit Pakistan, a Press Trust of India report states. “If he does not come, people will be disappointed,” the interior minister said.
Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office described the meeting as “a courtesy call” and said it was very short. They said the Indian premier thanked Malik for extending him the invitation on behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari.
Malik, who met Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Friday and National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon on Saturday, said he had good meetings with both the Indian leaders.
“Overall, very good meetings, very effective message...Whatever trust deficit was there, it was removed,” he said.
‘Disappointment’
However, Indian government officials informally told reporters that they were disappointed that Malik chose to speak so loosely on matters which were sensitive in India. A day earlier, the interior minister compared the demolition of Babri Masjid to the Mumbai attacks.
“We had achieved some progress on several fronts. These incidents just indicate how insincere the Pakistan establishment is about our concerns,” an official told The Express Tribune.
Explaining comments
Meanwhile, in an interview with NDTV, the interior minister denied his comment that the demolition of the Babri Masjid for Pakistan was similar to the Mumbai attacks.
“When I mentioned Babri Masjid, I was talking about inter-faith harmony in our region,” Malik said.
The interior minister flew to New Delhi on Friday for a three-day visit to seal an agreement to ease tough visa restrictions for travellers and to hold security talks with his Indian counterpart Sushilkumar Shinde.
Malik renounced almost all his earlier statements, and said that he never meant to sound the way he was quoted.
On Friday Malik said: “We do not want 9/11, Bombay blast, Samjhauta blast or Babri Masjid. Let us forget the past and move ahead.” To this Indian Home Minister S K Shinde shot back, “I am happy that you assure us that you will do everything to bring the masterminds of 26/11 to justice, but Pakistan has failed to deliver.”
Captain Kalia
Furthermore, the interior minister said that he was ready to order a probe into Captain Saurabh Kalia’s death. Captain Kalia’s mutilated body was returned to Indian authorities along with those of five others who had been captured by Pakistan during the Kargil war.
Captain Kalia’s father, N K Kalia, demanded his son’s case to be taken up by the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Based on his petition, the Supreme Court has given the Indian government ten weeks to respond to Kalia’s request.
Earlier, the interior minister told reporters that Captain Kalia might have died because of adverse weather conditions. However, the state of Kalia’s body may have suggested otherwise. When the Indian authorities received his body, they alleged that it had been tortured.
“The circumstances [behind Kalia’s] death are disputed, I am asking for more information,” Malik told NDTV. “I feel Captain Kalia’s father’s pain and I will definitely look into the matter.”
Indian investigators’ visit
Indian investigators probing the 26/11 attack are likely to visit Pakistan in mid-January while a Pakistani judicial panel could visit India next week, The Hindustan Times reported.
“Whatever trust deficit was there, it was removed,” Malik said. “Let the director general of FIA (Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency) and NIA sit together and resolve issues,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2012.
Amidst a general sense of ‘disappointment’ amongst Indian officials regarding his ‘loose’ statements, Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and extended an invitation to the Indian premier to visit Pakistan.
During the meeting, issues relating to voice samples of those involved in the Mumbai attack and punishments for those imprisoned for the attack were discussed.
Malik also reminded Singh of the long-standing invitation to visit Pakistan and said people in Manmohan Singh’s native Chakwal district were eager to meet him. The interior minister said his compatriots would be extremely disappointed if Singh decided not to visit Pakistan, a Press Trust of India report states. “If he does not come, people will be disappointed,” the interior minister said.
Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office described the meeting as “a courtesy call” and said it was very short. They said the Indian premier thanked Malik for extending him the invitation on behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari.
Malik, who met Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Friday and National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon on Saturday, said he had good meetings with both the Indian leaders.
“Overall, very good meetings, very effective message...Whatever trust deficit was there, it was removed,” he said.
‘Disappointment’
However, Indian government officials informally told reporters that they were disappointed that Malik chose to speak so loosely on matters which were sensitive in India. A day earlier, the interior minister compared the demolition of Babri Masjid to the Mumbai attacks.
“We had achieved some progress on several fronts. These incidents just indicate how insincere the Pakistan establishment is about our concerns,” an official told The Express Tribune.
Explaining comments
Meanwhile, in an interview with NDTV, the interior minister denied his comment that the demolition of the Babri Masjid for Pakistan was similar to the Mumbai attacks.
“When I mentioned Babri Masjid, I was talking about inter-faith harmony in our region,” Malik said.
The interior minister flew to New Delhi on Friday for a three-day visit to seal an agreement to ease tough visa restrictions for travellers and to hold security talks with his Indian counterpart Sushilkumar Shinde.
Malik renounced almost all his earlier statements, and said that he never meant to sound the way he was quoted.
On Friday Malik said: “We do not want 9/11, Bombay blast, Samjhauta blast or Babri Masjid. Let us forget the past and move ahead.” To this Indian Home Minister S K Shinde shot back, “I am happy that you assure us that you will do everything to bring the masterminds of 26/11 to justice, but Pakistan has failed to deliver.”
Captain Kalia
Furthermore, the interior minister said that he was ready to order a probe into Captain Saurabh Kalia’s death. Captain Kalia’s mutilated body was returned to Indian authorities along with those of five others who had been captured by Pakistan during the Kargil war.
Captain Kalia’s father, N K Kalia, demanded his son’s case to be taken up by the International Court of Justice at The Hague. Based on his petition, the Supreme Court has given the Indian government ten weeks to respond to Kalia’s request.
Earlier, the interior minister told reporters that Captain Kalia might have died because of adverse weather conditions. However, the state of Kalia’s body may have suggested otherwise. When the Indian authorities received his body, they alleged that it had been tortured.
“The circumstances [behind Kalia’s] death are disputed, I am asking for more information,” Malik told NDTV. “I feel Captain Kalia’s father’s pain and I will definitely look into the matter.”
Indian investigators’ visit
Indian investigators probing the 26/11 attack are likely to visit Pakistan in mid-January while a Pakistani judicial panel could visit India next week, The Hindustan Times reported.
“Whatever trust deficit was there, it was removed,” Malik said. “Let the director general of FIA (Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency) and NIA sit together and resolve issues,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 16th, 2012.