New Delhi, December 14
Visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday categorically singled out the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) as being responsible for last month’s terror attacks in Mumbai that claimed nearly 200 lives and injured about 300.
In an exclusive interaction with ANI after ending a breakfast meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Brown said: “We also know that the group responsible is LeT and they have a great deal to answer for, and I hope to convey some of the views of the Indian Prime Minister to the President of Pakistan (Asif Ali Zardari) when I meet him this morning.” Brown, who visited Afghanistan capital Kabul before coming to New Delhi, has since left for Islamabad for talks with the Pakistani leadership, including Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
A grim-looking suited Brown further went on to say that he had come to express his personal condolences to Prime Minister Singh on behalf of the people of Britain for the Mumbai outrages, and reiterated the
British people’s resolve and solidarity with India in the aftermath of the tragedy.“No country should have to go through what India has to go through as a result of the Mumbai outrages. I have said to Prime Minister Singh that we will give every help that we can, and we will work together in tacking terrorism and on issues of security, and we will work together to build an international support to tackle terrorism and the roots of terrorism in this world,” Brown told ANI.
While acknowledging the arrests that have been made in Pakistan, the British Prime Minister said: “We ourselves in Britain have not only suffered the loss through Mumbai of three British citizens but, at the same time, we have had to face terrorist attacks ourselves, and I think what it emphasises to me is that the whole world will have to come together and ensure that there are no safe heaven for terrorists, no hiding places for those who finance terrorist activities and, my determination to work with India and other countries in the fight to counter terrorism is enhanced by the awful events of Mumbai.”
He further told ANI that: “As I see no country should have to suffer the tragedies that have affected India. No country has shown such courage in doing so. You (India) have shown a great resilience and determination to get on with life but at the same time you make sure to root out terrorism, and I support what Prime Minister Singh is trying to achieve.” He particularly emphasised that: “We have got to attack financial terrorism that is where terrorism is given finance and given safe haven though funds, and we got to continue to expose the perverse and unacceptable messages that are sent out by the extreme terrorist groups.”
When asked specifically about whether the tensions between India and Pakistan would impact NATO operations in Afghanistan, Brown said: “I think it is important to recognise that where there is terrorism, it has to be fought, wherever there is terrorism, it affects the stability and cohesion of the countries, and that is why we are so determined to fight it.” “And, of course, we see the consequences of terrorism in Afghanistan, where I visited yesterday,” Brown added.
— ANI
