By IANS,
New Delhi : Ahead of the meeting between foreign ministers of India and Pakistan in New York this month, the US Friday intensified pressure on Islamabad to ensure “swift and lengthy” punishment for six Mumbai terror attack suspects, including 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.
US Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed the agenda for his state visit to Washington in November, the first by a foreign leader during the Obama administration.
Roemer conveyed US President Barack Obama’s warm greetings and anticipation at seeing the prime minister in Pittsburgh for the G20 meeting and for the prime minister’s official state visit in November, said the US embassy in a statement.
“The upcoming official state visit, the first by a foreign leader during the Obama administration, is a testament to the vital importance of the US-India strategic partnership in addressing our greatest global challenges,” Roemer stressed.
Earlier in the day, Roemer met Home Minister P. Chidambaram and discussed issues relating to strengthening counter-terror cooperation between India and the US.
“Swift and lengthy punishment for six suspects of Mumbai attacks in Pakistan is important for the US and India,” Roemer told reporters after meeting Chidambaram.
The ambassador said it was important for the US, India and the world that Pakistan takes action against Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba-turned Jamaat-ud-Dawa and dismantle the terror infrastructure in that country, a demand India has been making for long but without much response from the Pakistani side.
“Going after Hafiz Saeed and dismantling terror infrastructure in that region is extremely important for both US and India,” the envoy said.
“It is extremely important that these perpetrators be brought to justice and put behind bars, and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world,” he said.
The US envoy had made the same point in Mumbai Thursday when he described Pakistan-based LeT as a “regional and global” threat for the US and India.
“It is extremely important that these six people be brought to justice and put behind bars and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world,” he had said.
The Pakistani government filed two cases against Saeed on Thursday but none of them accuse him of any involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike.
Pakistan has appeared reluctant to act against Saeed despite six dossiers provided by India that contains damning evidence against Saeed and other perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna is expected to meet his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York later this month. Pakistan’s action against the Mumbai terror suspects will top the agenda.
Pakistan has pitched for unconditional resumption of talks, but India has made it clear that meaningful dialogue will not be possible unless Islamabad takes action against the masterminds of the Mumbai mayhem.
During his recent visit to the US last week, Chidambaram pressed India’s case with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and asked Washington to put pressure on Pakistan to conduct the trial of Mumbai terror attack conspirators, including Saeed.