New Delhi, Feb 18: Making it clear that war was not
a solution to the problem of cross-border terrorism, India
on Wednesday asserted that business with Pakistan, however, could not be usual till perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks are brought
to justice and terror infrastructure is dismantled.
Winding up debates in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha
on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, External
Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee also strongly justified
government's strategy to depend on using diplomacy to put
pressure on Pakistan in the wake of Mumbai attacks, saying it
had paid dividends.
Suggesting that a big issue should not be made out of
delay by Pakistan to respond to India's dossier on Mumbai
attacks, he said it "does not mean we have to rub them on the
wrong side" as India understands the "complexities".
He said India is examining the questions raised by
Pakistan in response to Mumbai dossier and will share whatever
information is possible. "But, please don't divert attention,"
he said apparently addressing Pakistan.
In his reply in both Houses on behalf of Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, Mukherjee detailed government's actions after
the Mumbai carnage and other aspects of foreign policy as well
as domestic issues like financial crisis.
The Motion was adopted after amendments moved by Left
parties were defeated.
"We were advised why can't we retaliate like some other
countries are doing," Mukherjee said adding, there were
questions by some parties as to "why don't you attack
Pakistan."
Justifying the government's decision not to resort to
any military action, he said the UPA believed that war with
Pakistan would not solve the problem of terrorism. "It was
never our intention," he said.
Apparently drawing a comparison with previous NDA
government's approach of mobilising troops in the aftermath of
Parliament attack, Mukherjee said "we did not mobilise a
single soldier, we did not press the panic button, we did not
lay mines on the border, but we said we expected Pakistan to
fulfil its commitment."
Feeling vindicated, he said "diplomacy has paid. It has
not failed.... We said that the non-state actors (terrorists)
were not coming from the heaven and they (Pakistan) have
admitted (it)".
He said India did not have any "quarrel" with the people
of Pakistan, "but I cannot carry on business as usual till
these perpetrators (of Mumbai attacks) are brought to justice
and the infrastructural facilities which are available to the
terrorists who are operating from there are dismantled".
Amid thumping of desks, Mukherjee, replying to the debate
initiated yesterday, said "We could mobilise international
opinion in our favour".
Asserting that India did not heighten tension with
Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, he said none
stated that "we are launching war against Pakistan", whatever
was being propagated in that country.
Turning to Kabul embassy attack of July last year, for
which India had blamed ISI, Mukherjee regretted that Pakistan
had not shared information on it despite making promise in
this regard.
Refuting the charge that India was engaged in peace
keeping activities in Afghanistan with some motive, he said
New Delhi had "no territorial ambition".
On Left party's criticism that India had adopted a
pro-American foreign policy, the External Affairs Minister
asserted that "we are pro-none. We are only pro-India. Our
foreign policy is to promote national interest in external
environment".
"Our foreign policy is totally self-dependent and
sovereign. Nobody can dictate what is in our interest," he
said adding that India had built good relations with all
countries including Nepal, Maldives and Bangladesh.
The External Affairs Minister dismissed charges that New
Delhi did not condemn the attack in Gaza. "We have condemned
it... but we cannot use a particular language and expression,"
he said.
He denied that India was compromising its relations with
Iran. "As Foreign Minister if I have visited any individual
country maximum times, it is Iran -- three times in less than
two years," he said.
Mukherjee took on the opposition for claiming that the
amended Unlawful Activities Prevention Act was not effective,
and said it has been only two months since the stronger law
was enacted. "To say that the law is ineffective, to some
extent will be over-reacting," he said.
He also said TADA and POTA were repealed not because of
anybody's fancy but because of "misuse and abuse" and added
that the question was not having a tough law, but how to
implement an existing law effectively.
On charges of lack of intelligence-sharing among various
agencies in tackling terror, Mukherjee said a Multi-Agency
Centre (MAC) under the Intelligence Bureau has been set up
through an executive order, which makes it mandatory for all
agencies and states to share intelligence inputs with MAC.
On economic issues, the Minister refuted charges of the
Left parties that the government had allowed FDI through the
"backdoor" and "diluted" the policy of Indian ownership.
Motion of Thanks on Prez address
Parliament today adopted the
Motion of Thanks on President's address with both the Houses
endorsing it but not before the CPI-M unsuccessfully pressed
for amendments in the report card of the UPA government.
The Motion of Thanks on the customary President's address
was adopted by voice votes in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha
after marathon debates on the policies of the UPA government,
which is about to complete its tenure.
The address had enumerated achievements of the UPA in the
last about five years. The opposition parties including the
BJP and the Left picked up holes in the performance of the
government.
It was only the CPI-M, which pressed for amendments in
the lower and upper houses in an apparent bid to corner the
government, which they had supported till July last.
But their amendments were defeated and the motion was
adopted.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 00:00