Press Pak to bring Mumbai accused to book: Indian MPs to US

CLINTON-MPS

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Jun 18 (PTI) A delegation of Indian
lawmakers have asked US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to
press Pakistan to bring Mumbai attack accused like Hafiz Saeed
and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi to book and ensure that Islamabad
does not divert US aid for anti-India activities.
The delegation led by Congress spokesperson Abhishek
Manu Singhvi met Clinton here and also expressed concern over
the proposed China-Pakistan nuclear deal.
The visiting MPs also raised these issues during a
series of meetings with Congressmen, policy makers and
officials of the Obama Administration.
"We expressed our very strong concerns about
dispensable assets like Hafiz Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi
in Pakistan against whom there is a very strong credible
enormous dossier of evidence supplied to both Pakistan and the
US, about why the US should not use the stronger pressure to
ensure that such assets are at least brought to book under the
law of the land and not only cosmetically dealt with by local
courts in Pakistan, who acquit them," Singhvi said soon after
his meeting with Clinton.
The MPs delegation, Singhvi said, also raised a number
of concerns about how China's supplying of nuclear plants to
Pakistan might be in contravention of guidelines of the
Nuclear Suppliers Group.
They also urged the US to ensure Pakistan does not
allow its soil to be used for anti-India activities.
"We also expressed our serious concerns about misusing
US aid by Pakistan and diverting it for anti-India activities,
and how much micro-scrutiny can be done by the US to ensure
that the legitimate aid does not get diverted for anti-India
purposes," said the Congress leader.
Singhvi is leading a group of all-party MPs to attend
the fourth India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme
organised annually by the Yale University and the Federation
of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
He said the response of American officials to India's
concerns has been "understanding, sympathetic, and absorbent".
"They appreciated each of the concerns of India in a
detailed manner. All I can say is that they are extremely
alive to it and I think, we can expect without any timelines,
guarantees and assurances, very very positive action aligned
with India's concerns on each of these issues," he told
reporters.
When asked about American concerns if any, Singhvi
said the US concerns are mainly centered around a larger
security architecture for the whole of South Asia.
"I think this is an important achievement that there
is no hyphenation of India-Pak relations for the US. The
hyphen if at all has shifted further westwards between
Pakistan and Afghanistan. That is a positive sign," he said.
PTI LKJ
RDM


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