By IANS,
New Delhi : External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Thursday said India will give “whatever clarifications are possible” on Pakistan’s 30-point questionnaire on the Mumbai terror strikes and hoped Islamabad would live up to its obligations to bring the perpetrators of the mayhem to book.
“When we received the questions seeking clarifications on the dossier which we submitted to the Pakistan authorities, we made the commitment that the government of India will respond and will give whatever clarifications are possible,” Mukherjee said on the sidelines of a function here.
He pointed out that Home Minister P. Chidambaram had made a statement Wednesday on India’s position that “whenever we are in the position to share (information) with Pakistan, it will be done”.
Last month, Islamabad had submitted a 30-point questionnaire to New Delhi, in response to a dossier of evidence handed over by India pointing to the involvement of elements from Pakistan in the Nov 26-29 Mumbai carnage that left over 170 people, including 26 foreigners, dead.
Asked about the name of serving Pakistani army officers in the chargesheet filed WEdnesday in a Mumbai court on the terror attacks, Mukherjee said: “We hope that the perpetrator(s) should be brought to justice and expect Pakistan to fulfil its bilateral and international obligations.”
By bilateral obligations, he was referring to the 2004 commitment made by then Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf to then Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that Pakistan soil will not be allowed to be used for anti-India activities.
Mukherjee said this commitment has been reiterated by President Asif Ali Zardari to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September 2008.
Refusing to comment on the ongoing crisis in Bangladesh, he said: “There is a regular duly constituted government that is competent to handle the situation and I have every confidence that it will be resolved. We don’t comment on internal matters of a sovereign and friendly nations in any part of the world.”
“As far India-Bangladesh border is concerned, it is safe and secure,” he said.