Says terrorism is a threat to all and every country should defeat it.
Although the US administration has been at pains to emphasise the dehyphenation of India and Pakistan, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton could talk of little else but Pakistan during her two days in Mumbai and a day in New Delhi. She is on a five-day visit to India before proceeding to Thailand.
In Mumbai, Clinton struck an emotional chord: moving messages in the condolence book of the Taj Mahal Hotel, and statements about a common India-US fight against terrorism, among others. But in New Delhi, Pakistan was the focus of her attention.
Noting that Pakistan housed a “syndicate of terrorism”, Clinton said her country was watching the actions being taken by Islamabad against terror and expected that perpetrators of Mumbai attacks would meet their “day of reckoning”.
Terrorism was a threat to all, including those who had given haven to such elements, and every country should stand up to defeat it, she said.
“We are certainly watching and expecting that there will be justice and those who launched the horrific attacks in Mumbai will meet their day of reckoning,” she said at an interaction with reporters here.
Clinton’s ‘real work’ will start tomorrow, when she meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and holds talks with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna. Today’s statements could be seen as a precursor to that — to persuade India to go easy on Pakistan, which is facing and actually fighting a difficult challenge.
“I have also sent messages very directly to the Pakistani people that this (fight against terrorism) is in the interest of Pakistan, the future stability and security of Pakistan,” she said.
She said the US had “seen an evolving commitment, not only by the Pakistani government but also Pakistani people and a recognition that terrorism within a country is a threat to that country”.
In the last six months, “we believe there is a commitment to fight terrorism that permeates the entire government (of Pakistan). That is what our expectation is as well,” Clinton said.
She said the US was talking to Pakistan at all levels — government, military, civilian and intelligence — on the issue of fight against terror.
“We are watching it and we hope they will make progress against what is a syndicate of terrorism — Al-Qaida, Taliban and many other terror organisations are connected in a way that is deeply troubling to us, and I know to India. But it is also now troubling Pakistan,” she said.
Emphasizing that nobody was safe anywhere from terrorism, Clinton said every country had a responsibility to “stand up against the scourge. This is not limited to any one country.”
Clinton said the US was “working to make sure every country sees terrorism as we do because we happen to believe that terrorism is a threat to all, everywhere and there is nowhere to get safe havens for terrorists without putting ourselves at risk”.
“We expect every nation to take action against terrorism. We are watching and expecting that this will occur,” Clinton said.
She said the US was increasingly coordinating with India about sharing information, looking for effective ways to protect the people. Clinton made it clear that the US would be working “very hard against the threat of terrorism and we hope that we live long enough to see that happy day come for India and the US”.
She said the US had made it clear that the fight against terrorism was the responsibility not only of India, the US or Europe, but that of everyone.
PTI adds: Five LeT operatives arrested in connection with the Mumbai terror strikes, including its operations chief Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, provided transport, accommodation and financial support to the 26/11 attackers, according to an updated supplementary chargesheet filed before a Pakistani anti-terror court.
“Are we satisfied with the response we get? Of course, not. But that doesn’t mean that we are going to stop trying,” the US Secretary of State pointed out.
She said no country was more committed than the US to end the scourge of terrorism. “We have sent our young men and women in military to die in our struggle against terrorists who attacked us and we expect every country to stand up against terrorism.”
