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| India-Pakistan | |
| Mumbai attackers to be punished, says Gilani | |
| 2010-04-14 | |
[Dawn] US President Barack Obama conveyed India's concerns over the Mumbai terror attacks when he met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday evening, and the Pakistani leader reiterated a pledge that those responsible for the attacks would be brought to justice.
Mr Obama told the prime minister that he too believed that any action against the Mumbai suspects would be a positive step, Mr Qureshi said. Later at a dinner he hosted for the Pakistani media, Prime Minister Gilani said he too believed that those responsible for the Mumbai attacks should be punished. "Certainly," he said, adding "I am against terrorism and always of the opinion that those who are the culprit they should be brought to justice." During his meeting with President Obama, the Indian prime minister also demanded the extradition of Pakistani-American terror suspect David Coleman Headley and claimed that the US military aid to Pakistan would ultimately be used against India and that Pakistan-backed groups were trying to oust India from Afghanistan. According to the Pakistani delegation, Mr Obama did not raise any of these issues in his meeting with Mr Gilani but he did tell the Pakistani leader that better relations between India and Pakistan would have a positive impact on the entire region. "Mr Obama said that while he realised both India and Pakistan were sovereign states, he also wanted to see them improve their relations," said Mr Qureshi. "Mr Obama said that better relations will bring more opportunities for both the countries." President Obama's remarks, as reported by the Pakistani foreign minister, indicated that the US was playing an undeclared mediatory role between India and Pakistan. India opposes any mediation in its talks with Pakistan. Yet the Indian prime minister raised its issues with Pakistan with the US leader, showing that like Islamabad, New Delhi also realises that their disputes were too complex to be resolved without outside help. But in deference to India's public position on third-party mediation, the White House press statement on Mr Obama's talks with Mr Singh does not mention Pakistan and the statement on the Obama-Gilani meeting does not mention India. The statement on the Obama-Singh meeting, however, did mention that "the two leaders also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and their shared vision for a strong, stable and prosperous South Asia. In this context, President Obama welcomed the humanitarian and development assistance that India continues to provide to Afghanistan". Despite India's opposition to international mediation, President Obama issued a secret directive to his diplomats in December, urging them to push for reducing tensions between India and Pakistan. And, as the Wall Street Journal pointed out on Sunday "he found himself spending Sunday in Washington navigating between simultaneous visits by the prime ministers of India and Pakistan". | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 More like a letter of commendation in their personnel file at ISI HQ. |
| Posted by: Spot 2010-04-14 08:04 |
| #1 A very stern talking to? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2010-04-14 04:07 |