By IANS,
New Delhi/Islamabad : With Islamabad apparently not taking any action against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks even after it was provided evidence, India is sceptical about sharing any information with Pakistan over cross-border threats during the elections.
“It serves no purpose. The sharing of evidence has led to no action against the terrorists behind the Mumbai attack. More than five months later, we are still waiting,” a reliable source, close to the government, said in New Delhi Sunday.
“We are not sure how this information will be used. We have shared terror-related information many a time, but no action has been taken from the other side,” the source said.
Afrasiab (only one name), director general (South Asia) in Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had summoned India’s Acting High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra Saturday and referred to India’s apprehensions about a terrorist threat during the April 13-May 16 elections.
“He sought more information about India’s threat assessment. We are awaiting more details,” the source said.
In a statement issued late Saturday, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said Pakistan had taken a “serious view” of “accusation” by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had said there was a “serious threat” to India during the polling period from “forces abroad”.
“The acting high commissioner of India was called in today by director general (South Asia) to convey that the government of India share with the government of Pakistan any specific information available with it which had prompted such an allegation by them,” the foreign office said in the statement.
“It has been Pakistan’s consistent position that countering terrorism requires pragmatic cooperation,” it said.
“We have made a request to the Indian administration for intelligence sharing so that all necessary steps could be taken,” Interior Minister Rehman Malik said at a press conference, noting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s remarks.
He pointed out that it was for Indian authorities to provide information about the threat. “We are facing a common enemy. We don’t want recurrence of incidents like the Mumbai attacks,” Geo TV quoted Malik as saying.
Speaking to women journalists in New Delhi Friday, Manmohan Singh said the Taliban were a “serious threat” and terrorists were trying to destabilise India by interfering in poll process. “There is a serious threat,” he said.
“There is no doubt that terrorists have not given up evil designs to destabilise our country to interfere with the poll process,” he said
“Every effort is being made to disrupt the poll process through infiltration,” he said while alluding to a sharp spike in infiltration from across the border.