By IANS,
New Delhi : India Friday said despite a “pause” in the peace process, it has consciously taken a decision not to curtail people-to-people contacts and transport links between the two countries despite Pakistan’s involvement in the Mumbai terror assault.
Making a statement in parliament, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee underlined that the future of the relationship will depend upon actions taken by the Islamabad to take the Mumbai case to its logical conclusion.
“We are at a point in our relationship where the authorities in Pakistan itself have to choose the kind of relationship that they want with India in the future,” Mukherjee told Lok Sabha (lower house).
“Much depends on actions in the Mumbai case reaching their logical conclusion,” he said a day after Islamabad officially acknowledged that part of the conspiracy behind the Nov 26 Mumbai attacks was hatched in Pakistan.
In an effort to reach out to Pakistan’s civil society, Mukherjee said the government has decided to keep the people-to-people contacts and transport links between the two countries on course.
“I must underline that we have no quarrel with the people of Pakistan. We wish them well and we do not think that they should be held responsible or face the consequences of this situation,” he said.
“We have, therefore, consciously, and after due deliberation, not thought it necessary or fit to curtail people-to-people contacts, trains and road links,” he said.
India suspended the fifth round of composite dialogue, that began in July last year, after accusing elements in Pakistan for the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Pakistan’s admission Thursday that some of its nationals were involved in the deadly assaults has vindicated India’s position.
People-to-people contacts saw a dramatic upsurge since India and Pakistan resumed their composite dialogue over five years ago. Despite strains in official ties over terrorist attacks, which India believes were planned and engineered by elements across the border, the level of popular engagement has not been affected.
India and Pakistan have launched four bus services and two train links that operate between various cities in their countries. Unlike the Dec 13, 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian parliament, blamed by India on Pakistan, that led to the suspension of composite dialogue and transport links, this time New Delhi has decided not to imperil contacts between ordinary people who are seen favouring peace and rapprochement between the two countries.