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Pakistan has a long way to go: U.S., India

Special Correspondent

Indian evidence is under “serious consideration:” Pakistan

Richard Boucher

NEW DELHI: Islamabad has assured New Delhi that the material it provided on the involvement of Pakistani nationals in the Mumbai terror attacks is under “serious consideration.” However, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher noted that the steps taken by Pakistan had not eliminated the terrorist threat and its government still had a long way to go to fulfil its international obligations.

“At least one actor who has been captured has admitted that he is a Pakistani citizen. Now you are saying that Pakistan also has admitted to it. I don’t know whether tomorrow there will be again a denial mode,” Mr. Mukherjee told journalists here on Thursday. “If it is admitted that he [Mohammad Ajmal Amir] is a Pakistani, they should carry on further investigation and take it to the logical conclusion so that the perpetrators could be brought to justice,” Mr. Mukherjee said when asked about Pakistan’s admission that Ajmal is a Pakistani.

U.S. determined

Shortly after calling on Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, Mr. Boucher said people responsible for the Mumbai strikes must be brought to justice and their organisations closed down. The U.S., he said, was determined to find out who carried out the Mumbai attacks.

The Pakistani assurance came on Wednesday night at a book release function here, where its rejection of the material provided by India came under fire by a panel of experts.

At this, Pakistan’s High Commissioner Shahid Malik, who was among the audience, sought the right to reply.

Although no question and answer session was scheduled, Mr. Malik was given the floor. He pointed out that Pakistan did not reject the evidence as had been reported earlier in the day. “I want to tell you that about two hours back we [Pakistani Foreign Office] had issued a statement which says that we are examining the evidence seriously,” he said and conceded that Pakistan too was facing the problem of terrorism.

The Pakistani High Commissioner wanted both sides to talk to each other and said Islamabad was willing to cooperate in the investigations.

“Fear of retribution alone will work”

Speaking at the launch of the 2008 volume of the book “India’s National Security Annual Review” edited by Satish Kumar, National Security Advisory Board Chairman K. S. Bajpai and the former Ambassador, M.K. Rasgotra, said that only the fear of retribution would deter terrorists from striking again.

“How can you deal with a state which continues to deny its involvement in terrorism despite huge evidence about which the whole world is so convinced,” Mr. Rasgotra asked.

The former Foreign Secretary, Kanwal Sibal, criticised the government for relying on the U.S. to protect India from Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

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