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| Act fast or face sanctions: India to Pak | | | Agencies
New Delhi, Dec 22: India on Monday stepped up the diplomatic offensive and warned Pakistan that it needed to act fast in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks or else face possible strategic and economic sanctions.
Hours after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee reiterated that India has kept all options open to bring the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks to justice, government sources made it clear that Islamabad has no other option but to fulfil the promises it has made.
Only when Pakistan fulfils its previous commitments, India will hand over new evidence related to the Mumbai attacks, sources said, adding that Islamabad was only trying to divert attention with its flip-flops on various issues.
New Delhi also categorically stated that Pakistan will have to extradite Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar. According to sources, existing laws allow Masood Azhar’s extradition to India without any legal problems.
India further said that there were multiple centres of power in Pakistan, which were adding to the problem.
Asserting that India has full faith on the US, sources said that Washington is pressurising Pakistan to act.
Meanwhile, adopting a tough stand against Pakistan, Minster for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said that India has kept all options open to bring the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks to justice.
Mukherjee said that India will “pursue all options because of the implications are on our people.”
Reacting to Pakistan’s flip flop over India’s demands to act against terrorists operating from its soil, Mukherjee said, “We expect Pakistan to fulfil its promises and commitments.” He further added, “As a responsible member of the community of nations, Pakistan could not shirk from its responsibility.”
In reply to a question on a possible military confrontation, the minister, briefing the media at the inaugural session of the two-day meet of New Delhi's envoys, Pranab said that such strategies are not disclosed through the media.
The two-day meet, which began today in New Delhi, is as seen India’s diplomatic hard push to exert international pressure on Pakistan to act against terrorists.
The conference, with foreign policy issues on agenda, comes in the wake of last month’s Mumbai terror attacks. The meeting was planned much before the Mumbai strikes took place, but got delayed due to New Delhi’s drive to win international support for the Indo-US civil nuclear deal earlier this year.
Over 120 Ambassadors and High Commissioners are taking part in the conference. Such kind of gathering is taking place for the first time since the UPA came to power in 2004.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is also expected to address the meet on the concluding day.
Dr Singh as also Mukherjee is expected to tell the envoys about how they should present India in the present global scenario when terrorism and financial crisis are posing greatest challenges to the world.
They are also likely to tell the envoys to highlight how India has been facing terrorism emanating from Pakistan despite New Delhi's keen desire to improve relations with the western neighbour in all areas, sources said.
The Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister are further expected to outline the steps that India has taken to improve ties with Pakistan and how the neighbour has failed to reciprocate the gestures in terms of ending terrorism.
The intent is that the envoys should highlight these aspects in the countries where they are posted as part of efforts to build pressure on Pakistan to end terrorism.
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