Zardari Promises Action on Terror, but Needs Time
On a three-day visit to Russia, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on sidelines of SCO summit, the first meeting between the two leaders following Mumbai terror attack, and urged Zardari to take strong and credible actions against anti-India terrorist outfits in his country.
The prime minister said that such action by Pakistan would help creation of the proper atmosphere for the resumption of the stalled bilateral dialogue.
On board Air India One flying him back from the Yekaterinburg summit, Singh said, “Pakistani President told me of the efforts he was making to deal with terror. He told me that he was sincere with his intentions in dealing with terror.”
Minutes after attending summit as observers, the two leaders held meeting in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. Their discussion focused on terrorism that comes from Pakistan’s soil despite assurances to the contrary.
“He has told me categorically that he will not let Pakistan be used for terror against any country. We should not prejudge anyone,” Singh said.
The prime minister said that Zardari promised action but it could take time as the Pakistani President was facing problems back home and that his intentions were sincere.
In addition, the other topics also appeared in their discussion. The Prime Minister confirmed the need to keep communication channels with Pakistan open.
Now, the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet to discuss terrorism by the end of the month after the meeting of the two leaders.
While clearly asking Pakistan to take tangible action against terror groups, the neighbour has been asked to deal with anti-India groups in the same manner they are dealing with al Qaeda and Taliban.
