BJP flays PM's Pakistan statements

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September 18, 2006 20:18 IST

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said that India's 'language and substance' in the recent Indo-Pak talks was a 'clear shift' in the national policy on insisting on complete dismantling of terror infrastructure in Pakistan aimed at fomenting troubles in India.

Taking exception to the statements of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Indian officials making a distinction between Pakistan government and Inter-Services Intelligence and using Pakistan President Musharraf's terms like "freelancers, autonomous groups independent of Pakistan government" during the Indo-Pak talks at Havana, BJP spokesman Arun Jaitley said they amounted to significant shift in India's position.

He said it was only after the Mumbai blasts that the prime minister had stated that India was certain that the terrorist modules were instigated, inspired and supported by elements across the border without which they could not act with such devastating effect.

Pakistan had given a solemn assurance that its territory would not be used to promote, encourage, train and abet terrorists operating against India and that assurance has to be fulfilled before the peace process or other processes can make progress.

"This being the position of India for the last 10 years, the statements of the prime minister en route to Havana and the statements there painting Pakistan as a 'victim of terror;' do not gel," he added.

Referring to the statement of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who in a recent interview, had highlighted the activities of three Pakistan agencies which support and sponsor militants and had conceded a spurt in the terror activities for the last three months, Jaitley said, "When Azad goes to the extent of saying that this situation could not be happen without the knowledge of General Musharraf, how can the PM dole out clean chits to Pakistan?"

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