Pakistan rejects SM Krishna's remarks on terror attacks

Pakistan has rejected as "immature" external affairs minister SM Krishna's reported remarks that any future terror attack on India could impact bilateral ties, saying it would not be "scared by any threat."

Reacting to Krishna's remarks carried by a magazine, foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit said this was the minister's own thinking, and that no country had been as sincere as Pakistan in the fight against terrorism, as it was a "real victim" of the menace.

Pakistan would not be scared by any threat, Basit was quoted as saying by state-run APP news agency, describing Krishna's reported remarks as "an immature statement".

Krishna, while reacting to premier Yousuf Raza Gilani's statement that Islamabad could not guarantee against a repeat of 26/11, was quoted by India Today as saying that India has been appreciated for its tolerance and statesmanship in the aftermath of Mumbai strikes, "but any repeat of such attacks will have serious repercussions on bilateral ties."

Basit claimed that India's response has been "lethargic" and "not positive", despite all the cooperation from Pakistan. The "deadlock between the two countries would only be beneficial for non-state actors," he contended.

Both countries are nuclear powers and "to think about war is equal to suicide", he added.

Pakistan is fully capable of defending its soil and the country's "nuclear deterrence is fully credible", Basit said.

Basit further said that Pakistan does not want any tension between the two countries.

India must respond positively to peace offers from Pakistan for durable peace in the region, he said.

The resumption of the stalled composite dialogue is the only way to resolve all issues between the two countries and usher in peace in the region, Basit said.

India put the composite dialogue on hold in the wake of the Mumbai attacks in 2008 that were carried out by Pakistan-based terrorists.

New Delhi has linked the resumption of the peace process to Islamabad taking action against the perpetrators of the assault.

However, Basit said terrorism is a global phenomenon, and the Mumbai incident would not have been "possible until and unless there were elements in India who made the attack possible".

India should understand the realities and avoid statements which could create tension, he said.     

During a meeting with visiting US defence secretary Robert Gates, prime minister Gilani had reportedly said that Pakistan could not guarantee that there would not be more Mumbai-like attacks in India.