Pakistan being ’selective’ in action against terrorists: Rao (Second Lead)

LONDON - Pakistan needs to take effective action rather than selective steps against the myriad terrorist groups based in that country if the process of normalisation between India and Pakistan is to be sustained, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao warned Monday ahead of talks with her Pakistan counterpart.

We are now making another attempt of dialogue with Pakistan. However, calls of jihad, hostility and aggression continue to be made openly against India, Rao told a meeting of diplomats and strategic experts at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based thinktank.

This reflects the real and tangible difficulties that we face in dealing with Pakistan. If the process of normalisation that we desire with Pakistan is to be sustained and taken forward, effective action against such groups by the government of Pakistan is an absolute must.

Rao said that although Pakistan has initiated some steps to fight the dark forces of terrorism under pressure and growing domestic terrorism, these steps are selective.

Distinctions between Taliban, Al Qaeda and terrorist outfits such as LeT are now meaningless, since they are now in effect fused both operationally and ideologically.

We have consistently maintained that Pakistan should bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attack to justice expeditiously and in a transparent manner. It should act decisively to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on its territory.

Rao, who was participating in a seminar on Perspectives on Foreign Policy for a 21st Century India organised jointly by the external affairs ministry and IISS, said the Feb 25 talks with her Pakistani counterpart in New Delhi reflected another sincere attempt by India to initiate dialogue with Pakistan.

We hope we can build, in a graduated manner, better communication and a serious and responsive dialogue to address issues of concern between our two countries, she added.