‘Tough Pak steps needed on terror’
On a day when the Pakistani establishment reiterated that it too was a victim of terror just like India is, the US National Security Adviser (NSA), James Jones said that Pakistan would have to make the tough decision to go after terror organisations.
The US NSA who was on a two-day visit to India which concluded on Thursday also said that he sees the existence of terror outfits in Pakistan as something that’s in “violent conflict with the way in which his country views the world collectively and bilateral.” Mr Jones was expressing his views during an interview to a television channel here.
During his visit here, Mr Jones held discussions with India’s National Security Adviser, Shivshankar Menon apart from calling on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, defence minister A.K. Anthony, home minister P. Chidambaram as also the chairman, chiefs of staff committee, airforce Chief Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik. During his discussions with Mr Menon, the two sides reviewed the status of the strategic partnership between the two countries. Regional and global issues such as the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, international terrorism and emerging threats to international security were also discussed. The preparations for the upcoming visit of US President Barack Obama to India later this year were also discussed between the two. As for the meeting between Mr Jones and Mr Chidambaram, they are learnt to have discussed ways to enhance cooperation between India and the US in dealing with terrorism. Apart from this, the activities of Pak-based terror outfits and Islamabad’s action against them too reportedly figured in the discussions. In his interview, Mr Jones said that as part of its bilateral relationship with Pakistan, the US has already expressed strong concerns over the existence of terror organisations within that country. India’s neighbour, he said, has been told, that these terrorist organisations have “goals to destabilise our way of life, your way of life, to prevent strategic goals from being achieved in Afghanistan.”
To a question on whether the US would see action against Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed as a test case, Mr Jones said that Washington expects Islamabad to deal with of terror.
Saeed stands accused of master-minding the 26-11 Mumbai attacks.
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