Time for dossiers over, it’s time to act: India to Pakistan
By IANSFriday, June 25, 2010
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD - Ruling out any dilution of India’s stand on terrorism, Home Minister P. Chidambaram Friday said the time for giving dossiers was over and asked the Pakistani leadership to act against its nationals, including Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, linked to the 26/11 Mumbai carnage.
“I am not going there to score debating points. I am going to ask the Pakistani leadership to deliberate on the material that has been given and take appropriate action,” Chidambaram told Times Now in an interview in New Delhi before leaving for Islamabad for the SAARC home ministers conference and talks with his counterpart Rehman Malik.
Chidambaram said he is also tell Malik about the need for action against Saeed and seek the material presented by the Pakistan government against the founder of LeT-turned-Jammat-ud-Dawa who is suspected by India to be the mastermind of the Mumbai carnage.
“We will like to know what evidence they have presented to the court (against Saeed),” he said.
“We have exchanged dossiers. The last dossier was given a few days ago in response to six dossiers presented by Pakistan. That phase is over,” Chidambaram said, adding that he will seek voice samples of the handlers of ten Pakistani terrorists who stormed Mumbai Nov 26-29, 2008, killing 166 people, including 26 foreigners.
“There is enough material for them to take action,” the suave home minister, known for his tough anti-terror talk, said, adding that he will seek to know “real progress” made by Islamabad in prosecuting the Mumbai attackers.
Stressing that there is no dilution in India’s stand on terrorism, Chidambaram said: “We are not giving up our firm convictions on this issue.”
Malik, on his part, said he would satisfy India’s concerns over Hafiz Saeed and terrorism.
“Let’s exchange hearts and not dossiers. We are meeting with a clean state,” Malik said in Islamabad before holding talks with Chidambaram.
Chidambaram arrived in Islamabad Friday for the SAARC ministerial meeting Saturday.
This is the first ministerial visit from the Indian side to Pakistan since the 26/11 attack that led to New Delhi suspending the composite dialogue process.
