NEW DELHI/BRUSSELS, 13 September 2006 — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Pakistan has not done enough to control militant groups based on its territory and he would bring up the issue in his discussions with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in Havana, news reports said yesterday.
“We will have an exchange of views on all issues particularly the commitment of Pakistan not to allow its territory to mount terrorist attacks against India,” Manmohan was quoted as saying by PTI and IANS news agencies.
“Our worry is that the Pakistan government has not done enough to control these elements,” he said. Manmohan was speaking to reporters on board his plane en route to Brazil.
Peace Within Reach, Says Musharraf
President Musharraf said yesterday that peace was within reach in the divided region of Kashmir and challenged India to seize the opportunity to end the bloody conflict.
“I sincerely believe that today opportunity exists and it must be seized to resolve the dispute through peaceful dialogue,” he said at a conference on the disputed region at the European Parliament. He said that improved relations between India and Pakistan, as well as a “conducive international environment,” could help improve dialogue over Kashmir if regional leaders are sincere, flexible and bold.
Musharraf praised Manmohan as “a man of sincerity” with “a flexible approach” and said he hoped he would show the courage needed to resolve the decades-long dispute.
Musharraf also warned the West yesterday that Taleban insurgents were a more dangerous terrorist force than Al-Qaeda because of the broad support they have in Afghanistan.
The governor of North Western Frontier Province, Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai, told a press conference in Peshawar Pakistan does not need US-led coalition forces based in Afghanistan to help them capture Bin Laden on home soil. “If Bin Laden’s presence is confirmed in any part of our area adjoining Afghanistan, or for that matter anywhere in Pakistan, we have these troops stationed there to carry out that job,” Aurakzai said.
