By IANS,
New Delhi : India has told Pakistan that terrorist attacks like those in Mumbai and at the Indian embassy in Kabul were making improvements in bilateral relations “impossible”.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee called up visiting Pakistan Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi to ask Islamabad to honour its “commitment not to permit the use of its territory” for anti-India attacks.
The Pakistan foreign minister was in the middle of a press conference when he got the phone call from Mukherjee.
A press statement issued by the ministry of external affairs said that Mukherjee asked Qureshi “to convey the hope that the government of Pakistan will take immediate action with regard to the terrorist attacks on Mumbai”.
“He conveyed that while the government of Pakistan has said that it wants a leap forward in our bilateral relations, outrages like the attack on our Embassy in Kabul and now the attack on Mumbai are intended to make this impossible,” it said.
The external affairs minister pointed out that the groups responsible for the attacks and their supporters are, therefore, also acting against the direct interests of the government of Pakistan.
“We expect Pakistan to honour its solemn commitments not to permit the use of its territory for terrorism against India,” said the statement.
Earlier, Pranab Mukherjee said the terrorists had links with Pakistan but said he could not give any details because investigations were still on.
The foreign minister told reporters that he would convey these sentiments to the Pakistani leadership.