NEW DELHI, Dec 17:
India has told Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik that his country will have to bring the culprits of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack to speedy justice for normalization of relations between the two countries.
The fact that 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed was still roaming scot free was also strongly protested to the Pakistan Minister, who concluded his three-day India visit yesterday.
Making a statement in both Houses of Parliament, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said he pointed out to the Pakistan Minister that many of the real masterminds and conspirators as well as key participants in the Mumbai terror attacks had not been charge-sheeted.
Mr Malik was told that it was yet to take effective actions to charge Saeed, who Indian investigations had shown was one of the masterminds of the 26/11.
India re-emphasised the value of voice samples of those directing the attack for establishing their identity, Mr Shinde said,
Adding that Pakistan was also asked to respond to the Letter Rogatories sent to it pursuant to the investigations by the NIA.
“On a larger plane, it was stated that terrorism is affecting all aspects of the relationship and we must deal with this menace effectively,” Mr Shinde said.
Mr Shinde said an Indian delegation will visit Pakistan this week to settle revised terms of agreement so as to facilitate an early visit of the judicial commission from Islamabad.
Besides, a team of the Home Affairs Ministry, NIA and Narcotics Control Bureau would visit Pakistan next month to operationalise the ‘Task Force’ on counterfeiting and drug trafficking and the Home Secretaries would try to meet in the first quarter of 2013 to review the progress, he added.
He said India emphasised that the continuing peace process, confidence building measures and enhanced people-to-people contacts between the two countries have to proceed in an atmosphere of terrorism and violence.
Mr Shinde said India also demanded that Pakistan has to ensure full cooperation in the capture of Dawood Ibrahim and his operatives who are wanted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts in which 400 people had been killed.
Mr Malik was also told to take effective actions against terrorist camps and launching pads in the PoK. Strong protests were registered about unprovoked violations of the ceasefire along the LoC, the Home Minister pointed out.
Besides the issues of drug trafficking through Punjab border, Sarabjit Singh’s mercy petition and detention of Indian fishermen were also raised.
He said Pakistan raised the issue of progress in Samjhauta Express blasts, and the NIA updated the Federal Investigating Agency of Pakistan.
“It was also clearly stated that the progress of Samjhauta investigations could not be equated to the Mumbai attacks,” said Mr Shinde.
Mr Shinde said the Home Secretary-level talks were held in March last year as part of the resumed dialogue process between the two countries.
Besides the 26/11, the agenda of the Home Ministry-led bilateral interactions included Pakistan’s continued support to terrorism and operation of terrorist camps in the PoK, prosecution of fugitives of the 1993 Mumbai blasts, incidents of firing across the Line of Control and international borders, terror financing and fake currency notes and humanitarian issues of fishermen and civilians prisoners and Indian PoWs in Pakistan, visa and concular matters.
The agenda also included narcotics and drug trafficking, in particular the signing and ratification of the MoU between India and Pakistan, and the need to conclude the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty(MLAT) and Extradition Treaty, the drafts of which have been exchanged with Pakistan.
The Home Minister said Mr Malik’s visit had taken place in response to the mutual invitation extended when he met him on the sidelines of the SAARC Interior Ministers’ meeting in Maldives in September this year.
“The invitation was both in response to Mr Malik’s desire to visit India and also to continue with overall strategy to continue engaging Pakistan,” he added. (UNI)
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