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| PM rules out war but keeps options open | | | Agencies
New Delhi, Dec 23: Reacting to Pakistan’s war rhetoric, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said that India did not want a war with Pakistan, even though he did not explicitly rule out the possibility, saying that “all options were open”.
"The issue is not war. The issue is that the Pakistani territory is used to aid and abet terror," Manmohan Singh told reporters outside parliament.
"We want Pakistan to make an objective effort to dismantle the terror machine. The government of Pakistan knows what it implies," the Prime Minister stressed when asked about India's options in the face of repeated denials by Pakistan of any complicity in the Mumbai attacks.
"We expect them as a member of the UN to comply with several UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions passed over the years," Manmohan Singh said.
The Prime Minister was alluding to a recent resolution by the UN Security Council declaring the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a Pakistan-based militant outfit, a terrorist organisation and imposing travel and assets freeze on four Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives.
India has accused "elements in Pakistan" of plotting and executing the Nov 26-29 Mumbai savagery that killed around 170 people, including 26 foreigners. JuD is a public front for the LeT, a banned terrorist organisation suspected of masterminding the Mumbai terror strike.
In a clear attempt to move the discourse away from blaming each other, the Prime Minster said that there were ‘elements’ in Pakistan that did not want friendship between the two countries.
The Prime Minister also asked the international community to pressurize Pakistan government into acting against the terrorists.
"We would like the international community to use its power of persuasion to persuade Pakistan to comply with the UNSC resolutions," the Prime Minister stressed.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had demanded that Pakistan should do what it had promised, instead of pointing fingers at others. He also said that Pakistan should refrain from creating a warlike situation.
The last few days has seen a significant escalation in tensions between the two countries with the Pak Army Chief on Tuesday saying that it would be ready to react to an Indian attack in a matter of minutes.
India on its part has consistently refused to rule out military options. The PAF on Monday flew sorties over Pakistan’s key cities in a show of increased vigilance.
India has accused "elements in Pakistan" of plotting and executing the Nov 26-29 Mumbai savagery that killed around 170 people, including 26 foreigners. JuD is a public front for the LeT, a banned terrorist organisation suspected of masterminding the Mumbai terror strike.
Manmohan Singh's tough message to Islamabad comes a day after India handed over to Pakistan a letter written by Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving Mumbai attacker in Indian custody, saying he and nine others who perpetrated the Mumbai attacks were Pakistanis.
Denying the existence of any record that establishes Kasab's national identity, Pakistan's Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik Tuesday said Islamabad will give "a detailed response" in a day or two.
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