New Delhi, July 01: Ahead of the meeting between Indian and Pakistani leaders in Egypt mid-July, India Wednesday said it is not “afraid to talk” to Pakistan but wants Islamabad to take “concrete and visible action” against the perpetrators of the Mumbai carange before deciding on resuming the dialogue.
“We are not afraid to talk… We will certainly keep talking. At the same time, we expect Pakistan to take concrete action against terrorists that is visible before India and the international community,” External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told reporters here when asked about the prospect of resuming composite dialogue with Islamabad in near future.
“India is still waiting to know what steps Pakistan has taken to book the culprits (of the Nov 26 terrorist attack in Mumbai),” he said at his first formal press conference after assuming office on May 22.
Pakistan’s actions must prove that it is “serious about punishing the culprits,” he said.
Krishna confirmed the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in the Red Sea resort Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt July 15-17.
Krishna said the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet, as it was decided by Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in the Russian city of Yekateriburg last month, to review actions taken by Islamabad against anti-India terror outfits before their leaders meet in Egypt.
Dates for the foreign secretaries meeting are yet to be set, he said. The two diplomats are likley to meet in Sharm el-Sheikh on the sidelines of the NAM summit a few days before Manmohan Singh and Gilani told talks.
“Let’s see what happens in the coming days,” he replied when asked whether there would be a resumption of composite dialogue that stalled after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, later this month.
“The prime minister was categorical in saying that the perpetrators of the attacks in Mumbai have to be dealt with severely. That is the stated position and it was reiterated,” Krishna replied when asked about his discussions with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the Italian city of Trieste last week.
He was alluding to Manmohan Singh’s blunt message to Zardari in Russia in full media glare when he asked the latter not to allow the Pakistani territory for terrorist attacks against India.
Krishna stressed India’s readiness to play and construtive role in defeating terrorism in the region and drew attention to the situation in situation in Afghanistan and its linkage to Pakistan.
“India has a direct interest in the success of the international efforts in stabilizing the region, and has stood ready to play a constructive role in defeating extremism”” he said in his opening remarks.
He also saw the need for greater international cooperation in restoring stabiltiy in violence-torn Afghanistan and reiterated New Delhi’s commitment to the development and reconstruction of that country.
–Agencies