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Pakistan and India to fight terrorism together
By Khurram Shahzad (AFP)
ISLAMABAD
Pakistan and India announced Saturday they would fight terrorism together and cooperate on the 2008 Mumbai attacks as India urged Pakistan to put more suspects on trial for the atrocity.
Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram and his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik have concluded two meetings in Islamabad with a resolution to develop a common anti-terrorism strategy, they said.
Chidambaram gave a press conference to publicly demand that Pakistan put more suspects in the Mumbai attacks on trial.
"We know that seven people are being prosecuted in the case. How far that prosecution has proceeded is for the Pakistan government to say," the minister said.
"We think that more people stay behind the terrorist attack and more people should be prosecuted."
Malik held a press conference separately but did not comment on his counterpart's demand.
In a joint press conference late Saturday both the ministers said they would work together against terrorism.
"We would like that our FIA (federal investigation agency) and their investigators on the CBI (central bureau of investigation) side interact with each other in the matters of terrorism, including the Bombay blasts", Malik said, using Mumbai's former name.
"The resolve is against the terrorism, the resolve is to take the Bombay attack criminals, terrorists, culprits to the logical conclusion. We both are against these acts of terrorism and we will work together to clear this menace in this region," he added.
"We have decided to work together and to give a very clear message to terrorists ?look we are united stand together?."
Chidambaram said the neighbours must act together to make South Asia free of terrorism.
"I will go back with the confidence that the outcome of our meeting and interaction will be very good for both countries," he added.
The two countries have embarked on a tentative reconciliation process since relations crashed to a new low after Islamist gunmen went on a rampage in Mumbai in November 2008, leaving 166 people dead.
Delhi blames the attack on Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and wants more action from Islamabad to bring the masterminds to justice.
The group's founder, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, and key operative Zarar Shah are on trial in Pakistan. India also blames Hafiz Saeed, head of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa charity, which is seen as a front for the LeT.
"We are trying to pick up the pace again. Foreign ministers are talking to each other, the prime ministers have met and home and interior ministers meet. Obviously the focus will be on terrorism, the Indian minister had said earlier.
Interior ministers from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) conference made a joint declaration on Saturday that included a pledge to "extend cooperation to each other against terrorism".
SAARC, founded in 1985, groups Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Critics have blamed its inability to exploit the region's potential on the long and bitter rivalry between India and Pakistan, its two most powerful members.
AFP: Pakistan and India to fight terrorism together
