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| Post Mumbai: Indo-Pak relations nosedive | | MEA says military action open; Pak HC issued demarche, Islamabad responds exactly | | ET DESK
Jammu, Dec 2: Triggering fears in the region, India and Pakistan are once again face to face and relations are nose-diving in wake of Mumbai terror attacks. New low in the diplomatic relations was noticed today when Ministry of External Affairs said that a military action against Pakistan, as punitive measure for supporting terrorism, is not ruled out.
India’s warning assumes more importance in view of the fact that it has come as a clarification after an address of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi who was quoted by the media as saying that New Delhi was not considering a military action against Pakistan at this stage. No sooner than the television channels aired this statement, the MEA came with an immediate clarification saying that military attack was not ruled out.
Earlier in the day the minister had said, in a bid to allay fears about an armed conflict with Pakistan, that military action was not being considered and that it will wait for Islamabad to respond to its demand for action against terror groups and individuals operating out of the neighbouring country.
"What will be done, time will show and you will come to know," Pranab told reporters in New Delhi when referred to US President-elect Barack Obama's suggestion that India has a "right to protect" itself.
Asked whether it could mean military action, Pranab responded by saying that "nobody is talking about military action".
He said India "will await" Pakistan's response to a demarche issued to it demanding action against terrorist groups and individuals operating out of that country and handing over of 20 fugitive terrorists.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Shahid Malik was summoned to the MEA last evening and served a demarche which sought “strong action” from Islamabad against those behind last week’s terror strikes in Mumbai.
“Now, we have in our demarche asked (for) the arrest and handover of those persons who are settled in Pakistan and who are fugitives of Indian law," Mukherjee said on the sidelines of a function to inaugurate the India-Arab Forum.
India had already handed over to Pakistan a list of 20 terrorists, including Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Mohammad and Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar besides Dawood Ibrahim, who are based in that country and are suspected to be behind terror attacks in India.
"...There are lists of about 20 persons. (These) lists are sometimes altered and this exercise is going on and we have renewed it in our demarche," Mukherjee said.
Similar lists have been handed over to Islamabad in the past also, but the latter has never acted on them so far.
Malik was told that Pak-based elements were responsible for the Mumbai attacks. He was also told that Islamabad’s actions “needed to match the sentiments expressed by its leadership that it wishes to have a qualitatively new relationship with India,” MEA spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said.
Pranab also appreciated the US response to terror strikes in Mumbai and the solidarity expressed by its leaders, including President George W Bush and President-elect Barack Obama.
In fact, Bush is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Delhi tomorrow. Rice had yesterday asked Pakistan to fully co-operate with India in the Mumbai terror investigations. Rice is also expected to visit Pakistan after her India tour and deliver a strong message to Islamabad.
Obama, who has already spoken to PM Manmohan Singh and expressed his deepest condolences over the tragic loss of innocent lives in Mumbai terror attack, yesterday said that he is "steadfast" in support of India's effort to catch those behind attacks on the financial capital.
"The United States must stand with India and all nations and people who are committed to destroying terrorist networks, and defeating their hate-filled ideology," he said. |
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