By IANS,
Islamabad/New Delhi : A day after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said terror groups based in Pakistani territory were plotting attacks against India, Pakistan Tuesday said it couldn’t take such remarks “lightly” and asked New Delhi to share information on such threats.
“If the (Indian) prime minister says something like this, we can’t take it lightly,” Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told reporters on the sidelines of an official function in Islamabad.
“If there is such information with (India), share it with the government of Pakistan so that we can pre-empt such an act,” he said.
“We have conveyed this to them and let’s see what is their response,” he added.
Addressing a conference of chief ministers on internal security Monday, Manmohan Singh had said “there is credible information of ongoing plans of terrorist groups in Pakistan to carry out fresh attacks” and warned of fresh infiltration from across the border.
Manmohan Singh also described cross-border terrorism as “the most pervasive threat” facing India and stressed the need for continuing vigilance.
Soon after Manmohan Singh’s remarks, Afrasiab, director general (South Asia) in Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Monday called India’s deputy high commissioner Manpreet Vohra and conveyed to him that Islamabad would like to “extend its fullest cooperation” to New Delhi “to pre-empt any act of terror”.
The Indian prime minister’s remarks warrant serious and prompt action, Afrasiab told Vohra, according to a statement by Pakistan Foreign Office.
“In all sincerity, we would request India to share information they have and for our part we stand ready to cooperate fully in pre-empting any act of terror,” the Foreign Office said.
“I think (Manmohan Singh’s) statement was uncalled for and it would have been better if he had not made such a statement because Pakistan and India are moving towards better relations, especially after the meetings (between the Indian premier and President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani),” Pakistan’s Minister of State for Information Sumsam Ali Bukhari had told reporters Monday.
“As Pakistanis, we would not want any problems to occur anywhere. We are ourselves victims of terrorism.”