Once Again Pakistan Shows Its Good Deed to Terror

India called to act on terror but Pakistan refused: can any one describe the outcome of recently concluded Indo-Pak talks in this manner? Let us begin with the last comment made by Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Minister, Foreign Affairs, Pakistan, on the peace talks. He said Pakistan will not barred Hafiz Saeed, the person in command of anti-India terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, from delivering anti-India speeches. Qureshi’s comment was a response to Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram’s demand to take stern action on Hafiz Saeed.

Hafiz Saeed is the perpetrator of Mumbai terror attack, which claimed the lives of 166 people. India had given enough evidence to Pakistan against Saeed, but Pakistan did not act. Qureshi also averred that Pakistan is a democratic state; there is freedom of expression for all so can do nothing against Saeed? This denotes that Pakistan considers Hafiz Saeed as a Pakistan national, not a terrorist. He is one of the founder members of Lashkar-e Taiba and the present chief of Jamaat-ud Dawa. While defending Hafiz, the Pakistan government frankly declares that they are supporting Lashkar and Islamic terrorism. Therefore, India has to think twice before going to the next peace talk.

While Pakistan stick on their arrogant position, overtly admits they cannot do any thing against terror strikes against India from their soil, How far can talks go? Can India keep this in mind before the next peace talks in July?

Let us retrace the entire peace talks between the two neighboring nations in this June. Nirupama Rao, the first Indian foreign secretary to visit Pakistan after the Mumbai terror attack, reached Islamabad on June 24 to hold talks with her counterpart Salman Basheer. The meeting was intended at setting the tone for the next round of talks between foreign Ministers of both countries in July.

Nevertheless, during the talks Pakistan yet again raised the Kashmir issue as India considers Kashmir as her integral part. Moreover, they wanted to be discussed it first in the talks. Salman Basheer had also demanded the reduction of Indian troops from the Kashmir border. This demand is an echo of the terrorists and separatists position in Jammu Kashmir. This also depicts the negative attitude of Pakistan government towards peace talks.

As we know, the Indo-Pak relations have worsened after the Mumbai terror attack executed by the Pak nationals with the support of Pakistan Army and ISI, hitherto Pakistan has done nothing to bring the culprits of the attack before the law. Only the trial of seven is going on in Pak courts that too because of international pressure. However, until now Pakistan has not explained the progress of trial. Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram, while in Islamabad for SAARC home ministers’ meet, strongly demanded his Pakistan counterpart Rehman Malik to bring out all offenders of Mumbai terror attack (26/11).

Defending Hafiz Saeed’s terror ideology, again playing the Kashmir card, supporting the Jammu Kashmir separatists; while in the peace talks Pakistan again showed its good deed to terror, in other words they focused on de-linking terror from peace talks.

The article was first appeared in ground report. This can also be accessed from http://www.groundreport.com/World/Once-Again-Pakistan-Shows-Its-Good-Deed-to-Terror_2/2925184

Dipin Damodharan is an Indian journalist (sub editor with Jeevan TV) and a well-known column writer in various English media. He is reachable on [email protected]