New Delhi, March 12, 2010 (PTI) - Trashing Pakistan’s assertion that state actors were not involved in terror acts against India, Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday said Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and every other militant outfit of that country is supported by Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and they have set up modules and sleeper cells in this country.
“If it is the state policy to sponsor terrorism, if the state policy is to export terrorism to India, how will we deal with that state?,” he said at the India Today conclave here.
The Home Minister said, “it is no secret that every militant organisation that is based in Pakistan, is supported by ISI. Lashkar, Hizbul Mujahideen, JuD, Al Badr — everyone of them is supported by ISI“.
Making it clear that war is not an option, the Minister said, “then we must talk, when we can, when we think there can be progress“.
He said nothing came out of the Foreign Secretary-level talks between the two countries here last month. “But I am told we are still open to another round of talks between the Foreign Secretaries,” he said.
Mr. Chidambaram, who chose not to make any mention of Pakistan in his opening remarks, voiced New Delhi’s concerns over Pakistan-sponsored terrorism during the question and answer session.
He had an unusual exchange of words with Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik, who tried to counter the Minister’s charge that state actors in Pakistan were involved in terror acts in India.
But, Mr. Chidambaram was quick to rubbish the claim saying this can be put to test if Pakistan gives voice samples of the list of suspects India has given to it.
These can be matched with the voice transcripts of 26/11 attackers and their handlers at a U.S. laboratory. “Then we will know whether the person is a state or non-state actor,” he said.
The Home Minister said this was one way to break the logjam. “For the sake of argument even if we accept that (there are no state actors), is it not the obligation of the state of Pakistan to control and eliminate the non-state actors who are fomenting terrorism” from its soil, he asked.
Describing Pakistan as a difficult neighbour from 1947 with “lucid intervals” he said, “we have a serious problem with Pakistan revolving around Kashmir. We acknowledge that.”
“If it is a difficult neighbour that neighbour must invent itself and one way to reinvent it, if it can, we wish it can become a truly democratic country where the real power lies with the democratically elected leaders’ hands,” he said.
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