Pak should take action against 26/11 perpetrators: PM

V S Chandrasekar

On Board PM's Aircraft, July 11 (PTI) Pakistan should
take credible action against perpetrators of Mumbai terror
attack, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday
disclosing that he asked G-8, G-5 members to "put pressure" on
it to shed the path of terrorism and choose friendship with
India.

He said Islamabad has given some information on what it
is doing to punish the masterminds of the terror attack and
added that with this hope he would meet his counterpart
Yousuf Raza Gilani in Egypt next week.

Talking to reporters accompanying him on the way back
home from Italy, Singh said after his meeting with President
Asif Ali Zardari in Russia last month, there have been
discussions between the High Commissioners and with the ISI
chief and Foreign Office.

"They have given some suggestion...some information on
what they are doing about punishing those behind the Mumbai
massacre. Now now we hope they would take some steps in that
direction and with this hope I will meet Gilani (in Egypt
early next week)," he said.

He was answering a question whether there was any hope
that Pakistan would take action against those responsible and
whether he had asked G-8,G-5 leaders to put pressure on
Pakistan.

Singh, who would meet Gilani on the sidelines of the
NAM Summit in Sharm el sheik, said, "The other thing I want to
say is in G-8 and G-5 in whatever forum I spoke there was a
lot of appreciation of the fact that it has been a victim of
terrorism trying to destabilise the country for 25-30 years
and we have evidence of who is behind this.

"I appealed to all the world leaders (gathered there)
that they should put pressure on Pakistan to she the path of
terrorism and choose friendship with India."

He was replying to a question whether there has been
anything "positive" done by Pakistan on India's demands after
his meeting with President Asif Zardari in Yekaterinburg in
Russia last month and whether India was seeking international
pressure on Islamabad to check terrorism directed against it
from there.

To a question on the current impasse with Pakistan, he
said India and Pakistan were close neighbours. "We can choose
our friends but we have no choice about our neighbours. India
wants to realise its ambitions on development and that
requires peace with neighbours."

Singh said "We will do all that is necessary to
resolve outstanding issues that have bedevilled our relations
with Pakistan. But that requires credible action on the part
of Pakistan to deal with terrorist elements directing their
energy to disrupt and destabilise our economy and polity."

He said he hoped that during his meeting with Gilani
"we will have a renewed reaffirmation on the part of Pakistan
that they will bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai massacre
to justice, that they will not not allow Pakistan territory to
be used for terrorists acts directed against India".

"If they do that we are willing to walk more than
half the distance to normalise our relations," he said. PTI
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