India Is Not A Threat To Pakistan, Says Manmohan Sigh
Dr. Manmohan Singh, while citing that using terror as state policy by Pakistan was tragic, has mentioned that India is willing for holding bilateral discussions with Pakistan for solving all the unresolved issues.
Singh, who was talking during an interview with the Washington Post, mentioned that India has been a sufferer of terrorism which have taken help from Pakistan, he mentioned that India is still under terror threats which are similar to the 26/11 Mumbai massacre.
"Every day I receive intelligence reports saying that terrorists based in Pakistan are planning other similar acts, said Manmohan Singh.
But he has assured that Pakistan has nothing to fear" from India, adding that using terror "as an instrument of state policy" by Pakistan is really a tragedy.
"We are committed to resolve all the outstanding issues with Pakistan through bilateral negotiations. Our only condition is that Pakistan should not allow its territory to be used for acts of terrorism against India. If Pakistan really honours that commitment, we can go back to negotiation to resolve all outstanding issues between us," he said.
Mentioning that India has been a victim of "Pakistan-aided -abetted and -inspired terrorism for nearly 25 years," Singh said that India wanted the US to use all its influence with Pakistan to ask it desist from that path.
When asked about steps adopted by Pakistan against the 26/11 conspirators and executors, Manmohan Singh said that India is not happy with the actions of Pakistan and expects more.
"As far as perpetrators of the Mumbai massacre are concerned, (Pakistan) has taken some steps but not enough," he said.
Expressing his concern over alarmingly increasing rate of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, he said that these attacks can prove to be risky for India also.
"Now if the Taliban and al-Qaeda type of terror, which in the past was located in Pakistan's FATA, gets transferred to the mainland of Pakistan, I think it has very serious consequences for our own security," he said.
"We would not like terrorism to lead to a situation where civilian government is only a nominal government," he said.
He also mentioned that Pakistan and the US are in Afghanistan are in Islamabad due to different reasons, mentioning that Islamabad has to commit itself completely for the war against terrorism.
"As far as Afghanistan is concerned, I am not sure whether the US and Pakistan have the same objectives," he said. While Pakistan, he said, would like the US to get out of Afghanistan soon, the US objectives are to get Pakistan to deal with the Taliban.
"Pakistan would like Afghanistan to be under its control... I don't see Pakistan wholeheartedly in support of action against the Taliban in Afghanistan, he said.
"They are of course taking action against Taliban, but only when it threatens the supremacy of the army," he said.
Expressing his hope about US and rest of the world indulging in fight against Taliban, he said that Talibans win would have "catastrophic consequences" for the world, especially for South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East.
"We (in India) of course have more immediate concerns. We are victims of terrorism and the extremist ideologies of the type that the Taliban represent. If this is not checked, this could destabilise our country," the Prime Minister said.
He also mentioned that Al Qaeda and Taliban are two sides of the same coin.
Though he agreed that the regime of Afghan President Hamid Karzai is not perfect, he asked the international community to rally behind him now that he has been re-elected.
"President Karzai's regime is not perfect... But you cannot transform Afghanistan overnight. It is going to be a long-term affair. Democracy, as the West understands it, may not be introduced in a short period of time in Afghanistan," he said.
"But the very fact that millions of Afghan children, including millions of girls, are now in school, when none was in school when the Taliban was in power, shows some human freedom. One has to take a balanced view," he said.
Dr. Manmohan Singh, while citing that using terror as state policy by Pakistan was tragic, has mentioned that India is willing for holding bilateral discussions with Pakistan for solving all the unresolved issues.
Singh, who was talking during an interview with the Washington Post, mentioned that India has been a sufferer of terrorism which have taken help from Pakistan, he mentioned that India is still under terror threats which are similar to the 26/11 Mumbai massacre.
"Every day I receive intelligence reports saying that terrorists based in Pakistan are planning other similar acts, said Manmohan Singh.
But he has assured that Pakistan has nothing to fear" from India, adding that using terror "as an instrument of state policy" by Pakistan is really a tragedy.
"We are committed to resolve all the outstanding issues with Pakistan through bilateral negotiations. Our only condition is that Pakistan should not allow its territory to be used for acts of terrorism against India. If Pakistan really honours that commitment, we can go back to negotiation to resolve all outstanding issues between us," he said.
Mentioning that India has been a victim of "Pakistan-aided -abetted and -inspired terrorism for nearly 25 years," Singh said that India wanted the US to use all its influence with Pakistan to ask it desist from that path.
When asked about steps adopted by Pakistan against the 26/11 conspirators and executors, Manmohan Singh said that India is not happy with the actions of Pakistan and expects more.
"As far as perpetrators of the Mumbai massacre are concerned, (Pakistan) has taken some steps but not enough," he said.
Expressing his concern over alarmingly increasing rate of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, he said that these attacks can prove to be risky for India also.
"Now if the Taliban and al-Qaeda type of terror, which in the past was located in Pakistan's FATA, gets transferred to the mainland of Pakistan, I think it has very serious consequences for our own security," he said.
"We would not like terrorism to lead to a situation where civilian government is only a nominal government," he said.
He also mentioned that Pakistan and the US are in Afghanistan are in Islamabad due to different reasons, mentioning that Islamabad has to commit itself completely for the war against terrorism.
"As far as Afghanistan is concerned, I am not sure whether the US and Pakistan have the same objectives," he said. While Pakistan, he said, would like the US to get out of Afghanistan soon, the US objectives are to get Pakistan to deal with the Taliban.
"Pakistan would like Afghanistan to be under its control... I don't see Pakistan wholeheartedly in support of action against the Taliban in Afghanistan, he said.
"They are of course taking action against Taliban, but only when it threatens the supremacy of the army," he said.
Expressing his hope about US and rest of the world indulging in fight against Taliban, he said that Talibans win would have "catastrophic consequences" for the world, especially for South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East.
"We (in India) of course have more immediate concerns. We are victims of terrorism and the extremist ideologies of the type that the Taliban represent. If this is not checked, this could destabilise our country," the Prime Minister said.
He also mentioned that Al Qaeda and Taliban are two sides of the same coin.
Though he agreed that the regime of Afghan President Hamid Karzai is not perfect, he asked the international community to rally behind him now that he has been re-elected.
"President Karzai's regime is not perfect... But you cannot transform Afghanistan overnight. It is going to be a long-term affair. Democracy, as the West understands it, may not be introduced in a short period of time in Afghanistan," he said.
"But the very fact that millions of Afghan children, including millions of girls, are now in school, when none was in school when the Taliban was in power, shows some human freedom. One has to take a balanced view," he said.
