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| Public opinion divided on Indo-Pak pact | | Islamabad has to curb militant groups: PM | |
B L KAK
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 19: Having taken due cognizance of the fears or misgivings entertained by a section of the Indian population vis-a-vis Islamabad's actions in the coming weeks and months, the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has reiterated that a proposed India-Pakistan pact to jointly fight terrorism "desefves a fair trial". On his return to the Indian capital following his one-on-one meeting in Havana with Pakistan President, Gen. Parvez Musharraf, Manmohan Singh also reiterated that the pact would be threatened if Islamabad does not do more to curb militant groups.
Under the plan agreed last week at a meeting between Manmohan Sringh and Gen. Musharraf on the sidelines of a summit of Non-Aligned Movement nations in Cuba, the two countries will set up a joint agency to tackle terrorism. "I do think it is a new beginning. I hope it works, but if does not work, then also we have to deal with the consequences," Manmohan Singh told reporters.
The Prime Minister said in comments posted on his official Web site: "It is quite obvious to Pakistan that things cannot be business as usual if terrorism is not under control -- or if the government of Pakistan is seen not to be willing to work with us to control terrorism". India and Pakistan also agreed to resume formal peace talks frozen after the Mumbai rail bombings in July which killed nearly 200 people. New Delhi suspected the blasts were the handiwork of Pakistani-based militants and their Indian supporters, but has not yet provided evidence publicly.
Manmohan Singh said: "There is an explicit commitment on the part of Pakistan to say they will work with us to do all that is in their control to control this scourge". Islamabad rejects Indian allegations that it allows its territory to be used for organising militant attacks in India. Manmohan Singh defended the anti-terror deal coming after years of allegations of Pakistani aid for "cross-border terrorism".
"I cannot say that we have bought forever security for our country", he said. "All I can say is we have made an advance. Let us give it a trial", he added. The details of the proposed pact have not yet been worked out but officials said the two sides will try to identify joint counter-terrorism initiatives.
But Singh is facing flak at home, especially for his comments last week that Pakistan, like India, was a "victim" of terrorism. The BJP continued its attack on the Prime Minister for the decision to resume talks with Pakistan and to try to resolve their differences jointly, which he made in Havana during his meeting with Gen. Musharraf.
Arun Jaitley, BJP spokesperson, said that his party had always held that Pakistan "needs to dismantle the terror infrastructure b efore talks can be resumed". He added: "But now Manmohan Singh has said that Pakistan is a victim of terrorism and that terrorist groups which operate out of their soil act autonomously and are independent of it". This, the BJP feels, is a huge shift, one which could be "dangerous" for India. |
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