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India open to dialogue if Pakistan curbs militants
 [Iran Press TV Latest] India says Pakistan must transform itself to a genuine democracy and a responsible neighbor if it wants to resume stalled dialogue in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Speaking at a seminar on South Asian security, Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said Pakistan had proved to be a "difficult neighbor" ever since it gained independence in 1947, adding that India hopes for a political transformation in Islamabad. The Indian minister went on to warn Pakistan of a "swift and decisive" response if it fails to curb militancy emanating from its soil. "If another attack emanates from Pakistan soil or we have evidence to show that people in Pakistan were behind the attack, our response will be swift and decisive," he told TV TODAY, on the sidelines of the annual India Today Conclave in New Delhi, on Friday. India broke off a four-year-long sluggish peace initiative with Pakistan after the November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks, which killed 166 civilians. India blames the attack on Pakistan-based militants. In reaction to the Indian official's remarks, Pakistani High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik said that dialogue is the only solution to the issue, adding that "I can assure you that Pakistan has no intention whatsoever in any aggressive designed activities against India." Meanwhile, Chidambaram went further to ask the Pakistani government to provide proof of its commitment to India by giving authorities in New Delhi "the voice samples of the suspects we have named." The Indian minister was referring to Hafiz Saeed -- a key suspect in the Mumbai attacks. Chidambaram also rejected Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's claim that India never demanded the arrest of Hafiz Saeed, the rabble-rousing head of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group blamed for the Mumbai killings. Posted by: Fred 2010-03-13 |
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