Bangalore: Pakistan is Epicentre of Terror, Says Krishna
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Sep 6: In a hard-hitting attack against Pakistan, Union External Affairs Minister S M Krishna on Saturday termed the neighbouring country as the ``epicentre of terror’’ and asked its rulers to decisively act against the perpetrators of Mumbai’s 26/11 attack to prove its seriousness in fighting against terrorism.
"It is for Islamabad to decide the kind of ties it wants with India,’’ he said while talking to reporters at his residence in Bangalore. ``We have voiced our concerns about not just to Pakistan but also to all our friendly countries,’’ he said.
The normally taciturn and suave Krishna was particularly harsh on Pakistan’s ambivalent and even supportive stand vis-a-vis the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. ``India has provided enough evidence against the conspirators of the Mumbai attacks. If Pakistan is serious on terror, then this is the time to show it,’’ he said pointing out that all the neighbouring country needs to do is take concrete action.
"According to legal experts, the six dossiers sent to Pakistan by India are enough evidence against conspirators, abetters and perpetrators of the attack to get them punished,’’ he said.
Krishna made it clear that India was happily continuing with the composite dialogue but suspended it after the Mumbai attacks. ``It is up to Pakistan to really demonstrate its genuineness for resumption of the composite dialogue,’’ he said.
"We expect Pakistan to prosecute Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leaders for masterminding the Mumbai terror attacks in a court of law. It has to be Pakistan's initiative to satisfy India's requirements to resume the composite dialogue,’’ he said in unequivocal terms.
On his unscheduled stopover in Karachi late Thursday while returning to New Delhi from Dubai by an Emirates flight, he said it was unpleasant and stressful to have been in the aircraft for more than six hours for reasons beyond anyone's control.
"They (airport officials) did not allow anyone to step out of the aircraft. I have no information whether they were aware that I was in the aircraft. As the Karachi airport was a re-fuelling hub for Emirates, I was assured by the airline that the aircraft would return to Dubai after re-fuelling,’’ Krishna said pointing out that inclement weather prevented the Emirates flight from landing in New Delhi and it was diverted to Karachi.
Krishna was returning to India after cutting short his four-day visit to Brazil where he participated in the ministerial meeting of India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) countries to finalise the agenda of the IBSA summit of heads of state in November.
Sharply reacting to the attacks on two Indian priests of the famous Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, he asked Nepal Government to ensure safety and security of the priests.
The Government of India is in touch with the Nepal Government and asked it to ensure security to the priests of Pashupatinath Temple, he said explaining that the authorities of the Pashupatinath Area Development Board had informed him of its steps to put security cover in and around the temple premises and ensure security to the priests.
Krishna said India shares historical bonds with Nepal. In Kashi, Nepali priests perform the pujas and in Pashupatinath it is the Indian priests. It is a tradition being followed from centuries, he said explaining that the Maoist elements in that country were pressurizing the Nepalese Government and temple authorities against the continuing the tradition.
Meanwhile, taking a serious view of the incident, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood took the matter with Nepal Home Minister Bhim Bahadur Rawal and Culture Minister Sarat Singh Bhandari in Kathmandu on Saturday. The Nepal Ministers have assured Sood that steps will be taken to ensure safety of the priests.
Earlier, it was reported that, two priests -Girish Bhatt and Raghavendra Bhatt -belonging to Karnataka were severely thrashed and their clothes and sacred thread cut by dozens of Maoists on Thursday in Kathmandu. The priests were badly injured in the attack.