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| Can to any extent against terror: PM | | | AGENCIES
Shillong, Jan 03: In a clear message to Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said that India will go to any extent to root out terror and ensure the safety of its citizens. While on a visit to Shillong to inaugurate the 96th Indian Science Congress, Dr Singh said, "We shall go to any extent to root out terror."
"We hope better sense will prevail on the Pakistani leadership to recognise that tackling terrorism is an area that needs co-operation," the PM said.
"War (with Pakistan) is no solution but Pakistan should hand over the perpetratrors of the Mumbai attack for trial in India," the PM said.
The PM’s remarks came amid mounting pressure on Pakistan from the international community, especially from the US and UK, to act against terrorists responsible for the Mumbai carnage.
The US has also handed over evidence related to the Mumbai attacks to Pakistan and asked it to hand over Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks, to India.
Dr Singh further stated that the two biggest challenges facing India today were "the global slowdown and the menace of terrorism".
"The growing menace of terrorism and Naxalism and the global economic slowdown are the twin challenges facing India today and we are committed to rooting out terrorism and Left-wing Naxalism very firmly," the PM said.
The PM also called on the new Bangladesh government to take “appropriate steps to ensure that Bangladeshi soil would not be allowed for terrorist activities against India".
"Successive governments in Bangladesh did not co-operate with us to evict Indian militant bases from that country, but I hope the new Prime Minister-elect Sheikh Hasina would take appropriate measures not to allow their territory to be used by militants," he said.
"The porous border that India shares with Bangladesh is a matter of concern for us as infiltration and cross border terrorism does take place. We need to accelerate the fencing work and we shall discuss this issue in next week's meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security," the PM said.
Referring to holding peace talks with northeastern militant groups, Dr Singh said New Delhi was ready to hold negotiations with only those groups who lay down arms first.
"We are ready to hold peace talks with all insurgent groups who lay down their arms first and there can be no compromise with groups using arms," the Prime Minister said.
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