Mumbai blasts: Indian establishment wants to involve Pakistan, says Khokhar

16 Jul, 2006

Indian establishment is pressuring the government that it will be appropriate for New Delhi to involve Pakistan in the Mumbai attacks, former Pakistani Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khokhar said.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday that it is difficult to carry forward the peace talks with Pakistan unless Islamabad takes more steps to crush terrorism.
"The confidence building measures are absolutely marginal think in Pak-Indian relations. The fundamental thing is that until our core issues are resolved, bilateral trust cannot be established," Khokhar said, while talking to BBC.
He said that no positive and substantial developments have taken place during the past two years or so. "There are improvements in exchange of delegations, cultural delegations etc, but there is much lack of trust between the two countries".
Former foreign secretary said that Indians on several occasions use code words that elements are in Pakistan when they refer to the roots of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Dawood Ibrahim.
He said Indians are not involving Pakistan government in the Mumbai Blasts but they say elements mean that terrorist organisations in Pakistan can be involved in blasts or they might be indicating towards the man Dawood Ibrahim. He said Pakistan has already banned 'Lashkar-e-Taiba'. "And when a group is banned, it goes underground and also tries to operate with some other names".
He said Pakistani government is making efforts to control militant groups. He said as far as Pakistan's international role against terrorism is concerned, there is no doubt in it.

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