THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: New Delhi will extend all support to Islamabad in its fight against terrorism and it does not wish to destabilize its neighbor, India’s junior Foreign Minister Shashi Tharoor has said.
“We do not wish to see Pakistan being destabilized in any manner and in fact we want good relations with our neighbor,” the minister told reporters in his hometown of Palakkad in Kerala on Thursday.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik recently accused India of fomenting unrest in his country by funding Taleban fighters based along the border with Afghanistan while Tharoor accused Islamabad of diverting “colossally high percentage” of funds and military equipment supplied by the US.
“They should make efforts to better the relations that have been under strain since the 26/11 attack,” he said. “If India becomes a prosperous economy, free of the fear of terrorist attacks, Pakistan will also benefit from being next door and we wish to maintain good relations with it.”
“We are already giving full support to Pakistan’s fight against the Taleban and we are wishing them well,” Tharoor said.
Reacting to Chinese objections to the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, Tharoor said it was an internal matter as far as India is concerned and anyone can visit the state as it is part of India. He was speaking on the sidelines of a national workshop on “steps to market and rejuvenate traditional paddy seeds of Kerala.”
