Pak, Taliban Together; Outcome of Indo-Pak Meeting Skeptical: Krishna
India has blamed Pakistan for disruptive role in the Taliban insurgency along with aid for the Afghan Taliban provided by its spy agency that has complicated the military situation in Afghanistan, with Union External Affairs Minister SM Krishna saying that “they are still together”.
Krishna also said that he was “skeptical” about the outcome of his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the absence of Pakistan acting against perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.
“They are a tandem,” Krishna said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“They are still together,” Krishna said clearly indicating that Pakistan government has failed to break the ties between its spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The minister also said that India felt “vindicated” following former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf’s recent remarks that some US anti-terrorism aid had been used to bolster traditional defences against India.
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“We have always been cautioning our friends, the United States, that please, please for heaven’s sake make sure that the aid you are giving to Pakistan is not directed and misappropriated to be used against India, a friend of yours,” the foreign minister said.
Referring to 26/11 probe, Krishna said that he was “skeptical” about the outcome of his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the absence of Pakistan acting against perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.
Krishna also asked the US to be more “circumspect” in providing aid to Pakistan, which was being diverted for use against India.
Ahead of his meeting with Qureshi on Sept 27, Krishna said he was “skeptical” about its outcome, maintaining that only “sincerity and seriousness” on the part of Pakistan would provide a “sound backdrop” for a meaningful dialogue.
He said that unless Pakistan government shows “seriousness and sincerity” in going after the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks, an “atmosphere of trust” cannot be created between the two countries.
