Let’s talk; India, Pakistan cannot afford war: Gilani (Roundup)

NEW DELHI - Making a fresh pitch for the resumption of composite dialogue with India, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Thursday said the two countries can’t be held “hostage to one incident” of 26/11 and should revive talks as both cannot afford war”.

Even after seven dossiers given by New Delhi linking Pakistani nationals with the Mumbai attacks, Gilani has said India needs to provide more evidence about the role of Hafiz Saeed, suspected mastermind of the 26/11 attacks, and more information about the other accused, so that they may be prosecuted.

With India hardening its stand that the stalled dialogue can resume only after Pakistan takes tangible action against the 26/11 accused, Gilani contended that the refusal to engage in talks will only strengthen the hands of terrorists.

Saying that matters got “stuck” after the Mumbai terror attacks, the Pakistan prime minister said that “1.25 billion people should not be made hostage to one incident”.

“If we are hostage to one incident then the beneficiaries are terrorists and therefore we should move ahead, Gilani told CNN-IBN news channel in an interview.

“I think dialogue is the only answer. We are both responsible nations and we can move forward. We can’t afford war. I think only way forward is talks,” he said while trying to downplay the trading of diplomatic barbs over the alleged exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament.

Describing his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Sharm el-Sheikh in July last year as “very good”, Gilani said that both of them “had understanding that we both are suffering from terrorism”.

“There are 101 Mumbai-like incidents in Pakistan after that (26/11), he said, adding that Pakistan faces such attacks on a daily basis.

Amid India’s suspicions about the involvement of Pakistan in recent incidents of violence in Jammu and Kashmir and a spike in infiltration, Gilani said: “There had been some irresponsible statements from the Army Chief of India.

“There is a tension because of that and at the same time that is an indigenous movement in Kashmir that hasn’t anything to do with Pakistan.”

Gilani also demanded more evidence against Saeed so that Pakistani authorities can act against him. We need further information about his role in that incident and at the same time we need more evidence to put him to task, Gilani said.

Gilani claimed that Saeed was already under trial and a decision on arresting him has to be decided by the court.

Acknowledging several dossiers given by India linking Pakistani nationals with the Mumbai mayhem, Gilani made it clear that more information was needed to build up a convincing case for penalising the perpetrators of the carnage.

“We appreciate that, but at the same time, we ask for something more, and we hope we will be getting that evidence,” he said.

India has made Pakistan’s action against Saeed, the chief of the outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawa, an Islamic charity that served as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, as a touchstone of Islamabad’s sincerity in bringing the Mumbai attackers to justice.

New Delhi has also made it clear many a time that it has given sufficient evidence to Islamabad to prosecute Saeed, a demagogue known for his virulent anti-India speeches.

A day after Pakistani investigators admitted the LeT’s role in the 26/11 attacks, Home Minister P. Chidambaram Thursday said that LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi is only one of the 26/11 masterminds and that there are other masterminds, a veiled reference to Pakistan dragging its feet on Saeed.