By IRNA,
New Delhi : Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao suggested Pakistan Sunday to create right atmosphere for dialogue.
She said Pakistan ‘needs to do much more’ to address India’s concerns over continuing cross-border terror before dialogue could resume between the two neighbours.
Noting that the Pakistani groups were involved in recent spate of terrorist attacks, rockets attacks and repeated firing across the international border in Kashmir, Rao said the attacks were carried out from the Pakistani side.
She added that the terrorist acts have taken place possibly with support from Pakistani authorities.
“Terrorism directed against India continues from territory under Pakistan control and from Pakistan,” IANS reported.
“All the events you have seen over the last few days basically point to the basic and undeniable fact that the infrastructure of terrorism which operates out of Pakistan and territory under Pakistan control has not been dismantled…,” saidb the secretary.
“…and it continues to be directed against the Indian people. It affects ordinary people,” she added.
“Look at what has been happening in Srinagar over the last few weeks. Look at the incidents of infiltration that have gone up despite the fact that this is cold weather,” she added.
“In winter traditionally we have not had so many incidents of infiltration, but those continue. They clearly point to the continuation of efforts directed against our territory, directed in order to foment violence in Kashmir and terrorist incidents,” Rao said.
The secretary indicated that the recent attack at Lal Chowk in Srinagar and increased cross-border incursions were being directed with the support of elements in Pakistan.
“Let me put it this way. I think the experience over the last two decades would make it very clear to us that this has been an instrument of state policy which has been pursued by agencies within Pakistan,” she replied when asked about the involvement of Pakistani agencies in the attacks.
“We have very little or no evidence to suggest otherwise,” she added.
Critical of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s assertion that his government was committed to fulfilling his father-in-law Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s pledge for a thousand-year war to ‘liberate’ Kashmir, Rao said militancy and violence in Kashmir have been accompanied by rhetoric directed against India and all forms and means of propaganda that come across from the Pakistani side.
“So, rhetoric, militancy and violence, together make a very combustible combination,” she adde, adding that would poison people’s minds.
Asserting that India has never turned its back on dialogue, Rao said that terrorism affected the climate of dialogue and the progress of this dialogue.
“And when Pakistan refers to the need to resume composite dialogue, we say you have to create the right atmosphere for that dialogue to move forward,” she said.
“We wait and hope Pakistan can do more,” Rao replied when asked whether Pakistan was effectively responding to the terror India was facing which emanated out of Pakistani soil.
Rao’s comments came close on the heels of a telephon conversation during which External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi to expedite probe into the Mumbai attacks and bring terrorists linked to the carnage to justice.