Pakistan has not done enough to control terrorism: Manmohan
Pti, On board Air India One
Setting the tone ahead of his meeting with President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said Pakistan has not done enough to control elements like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.He even hinted that he might try to pin Islamabad down on its commitment of not to allow its territory for launching terror attacks against India. Ahead of the meeting on the margins of the NAM summit in Havana, he made it clear that both the countries should move forward on the dialogue process, but said that terrorism surely acts as a "dampener" and violence "vitiates" the atmosphere. "Our position is quite clear. Terrorism today constitutes a threat for both countries. And, therefore, I believe that consistent with joint statements of January and September 2004 and April 2005, it is incumbent on us to work together in a manner that inspires confidence that both of us are very serious about tackling the menace of terrorism. "That is the minimum that I feel should commit our two governments, our two systems to work to achieve," Singh told journalists accompanying him on the two-nation tour of Brazil and Cuba. He said Musharraf and he would discuss all aspects of relationships between the two countries and added India was not not afraid of any discussion. "I will share with Musharraf our perceptions of what is the role of external elements in promoting terrorism in our country. We will have an exchange of views on all issues, particularly the commitment of Pakistan of not to allow its territory, and that includes parts of Jammu and Kashmir which is in their occupation, to mount terrorist attacks against India," he said. Transportation routes were opened up not only between two parts of Jammu and Kashmir and two Punjabs, but also between Munabao and Kokrapar, he said. Also, two years ago, one could not say that India would allow the Hurriyat people travel freely wherever they wanted to go, Singh said. "They have been going in all directions. It is an unprecedented development. People of both the countries, including the two parts of Jammu and Kashmir, are meeting frequently to discuss possibilities of cooperation. "So, I don't know if it is correct to say that no progress has been made. We have been discussing various issues as part of the composite dialogue," he said. The Prime Minister said the two countries can and should move forward in the dialogue process.
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