Trust but verify, says PM on ties with Pakistan

V S Chandrasekar
On Board PM's Special Plane, Jun 29 (PTI) In the wake of
Home Ministerial talks, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Tuesday pinned "some hope" on developing peaceful ties with
Pakistan but made it clear that while moving to develop trust,
India would "verify" how anti-India terror groups are dealt
with.
Reflecting a guarded approach of his government, Singh
said only time will tell how events would unfold in the
context of relations with Pakistan.
"The Home Minister (P Chidambaram) was in Pakistan
last week. You must have read what he has stated. I think
there is some hope," Singh told reporters accompanying him on
his way back home after attending the G-20 Summit in Toronto.
Prime Minister was replying to a question that while
he was working hard on making peace with Pakistan, how India
proposes to go ahead in case of another 26/11 type attack.
Chidambaram held talks with his Pakistani counterpart
Rehman Malik in Islamabad on June 25 and pressed for "visible"
outcome in its action against terrorism directed against India
and ensuring punishment to all those behind the Mumbai
attacks.
Chidambaram specifically mentioned JuD chief Hafiz
Saeed, two army Majors and some others involved in 26/11,
against whom India wants urgent action.
"As I have said in dealing with Pakistan our attitude
has to be - trust - trust but verify. So only time will tell
which way the animal will turn," Singh said.
Singh had Monday pressed US President Barack Obama
to convince Pakistan to take strong action against terrorists
involved in anti-India activities in that country following
disclosures made by LeT operative David Headley.
Singh, who met Obama on the sidelines of the G-20
Summit, briefed him about the peace initiatives with Pakistan
but made it clear that Islamabad should abide by its
commitment of not to allow terrorism emanating from its soil
directed against India.
The activities of Headley came up for discussion in
the light of information coming out of Pakistani-American LeT
operative after his interrogation by Indian investigators.
Chidambaram had last week met his Pakistani
counterpart Rehman Malik and pressed for prosecution of more
people involved in the 26/11 attacks.
India and Pakistan had in April decided to resume
talks at the Foreign Secretaries and Foreign Ministers level
after a gap of 18 months. Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao was
in Islamabad last week and External Affairs Minister S M
Krishna will travel to Pakistan on July 15 to meet his
counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
India had put the Composite Dialogue process on hold
after the Mumbai attacks, blamed on the Pakistan-based
Lashkar-e-Taiba. PTI VSC
KAB


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