Talks with Pak necessary to mount pressure on terror issue

Chandigarh, Mar 13 (PTI) Asserting that talks with
Pakistan were necessary to convey India's concerns on
terrorism emanating from that country, the Indian Government
Saturday said it will continue to mount pressure on Islamabad
to take concrete action against the menace.
"We have to keep our talks (with Pakistan) on as only
then concerns related to terrorism and steps required for
maintaining peace and stability can be taken," India's
Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur told
reporters here.
The minister said India will not tolerate terrorism
emanating from Pakistani soil.
Asked whether the talks will continue despite the
terror attacks from across the border, Kaur said, "We
stand absolutely firm on our stand against terrorism from
across the border.... We will continue to mount pressure on
Pakistan. We started talks on minimal level".
The minister said Pakistan has taken a few steps
against the perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai attacks, but India
wants it to go further.
"We want them to take concrete actions and at the same
time I think, the talks are necessary," she said.
India and Pakistan held foreign secretary-level talks
on February 25 in New Delhi after a gap of nearly 14 months.
On recent attacks on Indians in Afghanistan, Kaur said
India was concerned over the development, but at the same time
was committed to build infrastructure in the country as "such
incidents can't change our stand in helping Afghanistan".
Referring to beheading of a Sikh in Pakistan by
the Taliban, she said, "We have taken the incident firmly with
Pakistan. The barbaric and heinous crime is condemnable". PTI