It is the tale of two cities. It is also the tale of a war on terror, with the US leading it and India as its trusted ally India on one side, and Pakistan government's dubious stand on Islamist organisations on its soil on the other.
Public commentators in India have minced no words in finding the coincidence between US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle landing in New Delhi on Sunday morning and the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks, Hafiz Saeed, holding a massive rally in Karachi.
The Jammat-ud-Dawa's "million march" has been called in protest against the controversial cartoons of Prophet Muhammad published by French weekly, Charlie Hebdo earlier this month, which led to the killing of 12 people in Paris by suspected Al Qaeda militants and a global outrage over threats to the freedom of the press.
The rally is being seen as the JuD's defiance of Pakistan government's ban on the terrorist organisation earlier this week. Saeed on Saturday said the restrictions on JuD were "nothing new" to the group and that JuD would continue with its "public welfare and education projects". Even the Pakistani Interior Ministry has now denied any move to ban the JuD and other terror organisations, but said the groups were on the "watch list."
In an exclusive interview with Shekhar Gupta for India Today before leaving for India, Obama had said, "I've made it clear that even as the United States works with Pakistan to meet the threat of terrorism, safe havens within Pakistan are not acceptable and that those behind the Mumbai terrorist attack must face justice."
With the US concerned about 'safe havens' in some area of Pakistan where extremists operate in virtual impunity, counter-terrorism coordination would be a key topic of three-day discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Obama.
Obama holds traffic in Delhi, Hafiz Saeed in Karachi
Public commentators in India have minced no words in finding the coincidence between US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle landing in New Delhi on Sunday morning and the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks, Hafiz Saeed, holding a massive rally in Karachi.
The Jammat-ud-Dawa's "million march" has been called in protest against the controversial cartoons of Prophet Muhammad published by French weekly, Charlie Hebdo earlier this month, which led to the killing of 12 people in Paris by suspected Al Qaeda militants and a global outrage over threats to the freedom of the press.
The rally is being seen as the JuD's defiance of Pakistan government's ban on the terrorist organisation earlier this week. Saeed on Saturday said the restrictions on JuD were "nothing new" to the group and that JuD would continue with its "public welfare and education projects". Even the Pakistani Interior Ministry has now denied any move to ban the JuD and other terror organisations, but said the groups were on the "watch list."
In an exclusive interview with Shekhar Gupta for India Today before leaving for India, Obama had said, "I've made it clear that even as the United States works with Pakistan to meet the threat of terrorism, safe havens within Pakistan are not acceptable and that those behind the Mumbai terrorist attack must face justice."
With the US concerned about 'safe havens' in some area of Pakistan where extremists operate in virtual impunity, counter-terrorism coordination would be a key topic of three-day discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Obama.
Obama holds traffic in Delhi, Hafiz Saeed in Karachi
