M A I N   N E W S

PC meets Malik, presses for action against Hafiz Saeed
First Indian Home Minister to visit Pak in three decades
Ajay Banerjee in Islamabad

India on Friday opined that Pakistan was not doing enough as far as terrorism was concerned and asked for action against Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed and also the three Pakistani Army officers for their association in planning and executing the Mumbai attacks.

Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram landed in the Pakistani capital this evening for a one-to-one meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik. The two men, who have indulged in war of words through the media so far, came face to face.

New Delhi opined it was time for Pakistan to do something, Hafiz Saeed was the key man linked to the 26/11 Mumbai carnage. However, there were handlers, controllers of terrorists and cross-border infiltration, all this cannot be pushed under the carpet or pushed aside. The matter could not be ignored for ever.

Chidambaram is the first Indian Home Minister to visit Pakistan in almost three decades. He along with Malik inspected a guard of honour at the Pakistan Interior Ministry. The late evening meeting between the two Home Ministers will conclude with both addressing the media of their respective countries late into the night.

P Chidambaram said he would “politely” yet “firmly” tell Pakistan that the time has come to address issues concerning the deadly Mumbai attacks with seriousness. “I will use the opportunity to bring home to Pakistan, the gravity of issues and the need for response that is appropriate to the gravity of the situation,” he told reporters accompanying him to Islamabad, where he would attend the SAARC Home Ministers’ Conference and also hold talks with his counterpart Rehman Malik.

The Home Minister said it had been 18 months since he had taken over. The time had come to address these issues.

The Indian Home Minister would also be seeking voice samples of the 26/11 handlers. It was universally acknowledged that the handlers were in Pakistan. “We think we know who the handlers were. Surely, they can give us voice samples. We have recordings on our side,” said Chidambaram.

Pakistan, in the past, had claimed that a couple of the suspects had declined to give their voice samples. In the past few months, India and Pakistan have exchanged dossiers on the Mumbai terror attacks. Chidambaram was likely to meet President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani during his Pakistan visit.