Gangtok, December 19
India today said it was obliged to “consider the entire range of options that exist” with the failure of Pakistan to deliver on its promise of not supporting terror activities.
“Terrorism remains a scourge for our region. If a country cannot keep the assurances that it has given, then it obliges us to consider the entire range of options that exist to protect our interests and people from this menace,” external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said, without naming Islamabad.
“We have made repeated appeals to our neighbours over the years to ensure that they do not provide support to terrorist activities and to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure... but our pleas have been ignored in spite of assurances given by them,” Mukherjee said.
He said this in his message from New Delhi to the International Conference on ‘Sub-regionalism Approach to Regional Integration in South Asia: Prospects and Opportunities’ here. It was read out by the Sikkim University vice-chancellor Mahendra P Lama at the inauguration of the three-day event. He said the terror attacks on the financial capital of the country reflected the extent to which the terrorists have spread their network in the neighbouring country.
The minister, however, did not elaborate on the course of action to be taken by the government following Pakistan's failure to act on its assurance of dismantling terror infrastructure on its territory. He also hinted that the state agencies of Pakistan may have provided assistance to the terrorists, whom he described as non-state actors, in carrying out the attack.
— PTI
