WORLD
Manmohan Singh reacts furiously to Gilani wanting more evidence against the LeT.
Prime minister Manmohan Singh was so irritated by Pakistani prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s remark at a media roundtable seeking more evidence from India against the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) that Singh, on Tuesday, ruled out talks with Pakistan until it took “credible steps” to prosecute the LeT leadership which masterminded the Mumbai carnage.
Gilani may well regret shooting his mouth off. Diplomats say the Pakistani foreign office has been in overdrive, trying to set up a meeting between Singh and Gilani on the sidelines of the Saarc summit, a mere fortnight away in the Bhutanese capital Thimpu. Now that meeting could be twice as hard to pull off.
On Monday, Gilani, speaking to a roundtable of reporters, said that Pakistan has already banned some extremist groups and frozen their bank accounts and was seeking more evidence from India against the LeT. “If we have more effective evidence, certainly they will be brought to justice,” Gilani said. His remark did nothing but vex India which has already answered a set of 30 questions that Islamabad put to it regarding 26/11.
India also provided bulging dossiers with telephone conversations of the 10 attackers and their Pakistan-based handlers, fingerprints and other details of the terrorists who struck in Mumbai, besides forensic analysis of GPS, ammunition and other equipment used by the terrorists.
“So I do not think there is any need for me to produce additional evidence to prime minister Gilani about the role the LeT, Hafiz Saeed, Ilyas Kashmiri and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi are playing in fanning terrorist acts directed against India,” Singh said tartly.
Pinning the responsibility on Pakistan for mending ties ruined by the Mumbai attacks, Singh pointed out that “there are still people who are named as part of the conspirators, but are roaming around freely” in Pakistan. The PM said the LeT hand in the Mumbai attacks was established by American intelligence; “Not by our investigations and our intelligence but by the intelligence of our friendly countries.”
“We would like Pakistan to at least bring all of these perpetrators of these horrible crimes to book and do so effectively. That’s the minimum that we expect from Pakistan. If Pakistan does that, we will be very happy to begin talking once again,” Singh told reporters.
Singh also told Obama on Sunday that Pakistan’s government lacked the will to punish those responsible for the Mumbai attacks. Obama responded by pressing Gilani to take action against the LeT. Gilani confirmed that Obama raised Singh’s concerns to him.
Singh ran into Gilani twice during the two-day nuclear security summit in Washington, but Singh said “there was no serious discussions” during the encounters. Clearly, the PM doesn’t want anyone reading anything into a perfunctory handshake at a working dinner on Monday hosted by Obama.
“I complemented the prime minister on the passage of the constitutional amendment bill which I think makes the prime minister a more powerful personality in Pakistan’s political system. But beyond that there was no serious discussion,” emphasised Singh.
Separately, Singh got an assurance from Obama that India would get access to LeT operative David Coleman Headley. “The president is aware of the legal position and we will get access to Headley,” Singh told reporters.
In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Singh added that the summit had addressed India’s fears; “We have been voicing our concerns regarding nuclear proliferation, clandestine activities and nuclear trafficking for some time,” said Singh. “This is the first time the international community has come together to recognise that these are serious concerns and that’s a matter of satisfaction.”
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update
Maharashtra: 3 killed, 9 hospitalised after gas leak at fertiliser plant in Sangli
THIS farm is selling a cup of coffee for Rs 28000, but there's a twist, it is...
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed after encounter with security personnel in Sukma
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Dense fog, heavy rain predicted in these states till November 25; check here
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
Somebody misbehaved with Alia Bhatt on Highway sets then Imtiaz Ali had to...
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal reveals twist behind Rs 200000 job fee, closes application window
Days after Ratan Tata's demise, Tata Group's Rs 131000 crore company inks pact with ADB for...
WATCH: Woman makes Biryani with Parle-G biscuits, viral video fumes internet
Only train in India in which passengers can travel for FREE; check route, timings and more
'Justice for biryani': Parle-G biryani takes internet by storm, video goes viral
DNA TV Show: Why Gautam Adani charged with bribery and fraud in US
IND vs AUS: Records Virat Kohli can break during Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Diljit Dosanjh fans get angry over Ananya Panday's birthday post for her grandmother, here's why
Reddit suffers outage with ‘upstream connect error’ message, says 'currently investigating...'
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: How has Jasprit Bumrah fared in Tests in Australia?
Delhi records coldest night of the season, temp drops to...
Crossing the Line: Ukraine's Use of Storm Shadow Missiles and the Escalation of Conflict
When Malaika Arora talked about the controversial ‘instant pleasure’ ad, it was for…
This is the world’s most expensive shopping street, not Fifth Avenue, New Bond Street, it is...
Big setback for Gautam Adani, Kenya cancels Rs 6216 crore deal with Adani Group due to...
Viral video: Man’s jugaad to stay warm in winter will leave you SHOCKED, watch here
Hinduja Group firm gets key approval for acquisition of Anil Ambani's debt-ridden Reliance Capital
Viral video: Middle-Class man lives dream of having tea at Taj Hotel, netizens applauds
Shloka Mehta looks stunning in white floral kurta as she clicked with Akash Ambani, it costs Rs....
Who is Sagar Adani, Gautam Adani's nephew, accused of bribery, fraud charges in US?
PayPal down: Several users face issue while logging into accounts, say 'no one could...'
IND vs AUS: Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins eye historic captaincy milestone in Perth Test
BGT 2024, Ind vs Aus: Can Shubhman Gill be the new Cheteshwar Pujara? Is he really ready?
The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Gifting: Discover Heirloom Pashmina by Pashmina.com
Effortless Relocations: The Perks Of Professional Removalists In Melbourne
Watch: Pakistan fan with 'Imran Khan' poster asked to leave Hobart stadium in Australia
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for...
What is demisexuality? Everything you need to know about this lesser-known sexual orientation
WATCH: World’s shortest woman meets world’s tallest woman, video goes viral
IND vs AUS 1st Test: Predicted playing XIs, Perth weather forecast and pitch report
IND vs AUS: When will Rohit Sharma join India squad? Check latest update
'Scam 2024': Diljit Dosanjh lookalike pranks people on Pune streets, video goes viral
Delhi Air Pollution: Centre announces staggered work timings for govt employees; check details
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio loses nearly 80 lakh subscribers in just 30 days, BSNL adds...
IND vs AUS, 1st Test Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs Australia match
This country has most expensive passport in world, not US, UK, UAE, it costs Rs...
Amitabh Bachchan opens up on Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan divorce rumours
Amid rising air pollution, Delhi-NCR's crematorium records cleanest air; check AQI here
Revolutionising Medical Imaging: Venudhar Rao Hajari’s impact on healthcare technology