New Delhi: Home Minister P Chidambaram
on Friday described as "endless exercise" Pakistan`s additional
queries on Mumbai terror attack and said this would perhaps be
the last time he would be answering them.
"I think it is an endless exercise and very tiresome. I
think this is the last time I perhaps will answer Pakistan`s
questions on this issue," he told a TV news channel.
He was answering questions on Islamabad giving a fresh
dossier in which it has sought reply on some new questions
relating to the Mumbai terror attack.
Chidambaram said the material that the Indian government
has given was enough to secure conviction of the accused in
Pakistan`s courts.
"It is a very sad commentary on the legal skills of the
prosecutors in Pakistan. The material given is enough for any
court of law to convict the accused," he said adding of course
that some supplementary investigation has to be done in
Pakistan.
Chidambaram said no non-state actor can launch terror
attack of this scale and magnitude on India without the
support of the establishment. "It is for Pakistan to act
against these elements," he said.
The Home Minister said the Laskar-e-Toiba is a "big
threat to India and it is something that I would like the
Pakistan government and the establishment to prove the
contrary if it is not true".
He said he was entitle to assume that these elements
enjoyed the tactic support of the state agencies. "The
contrary must be proved," he said.
Chidambaram said that it was regrettable that Pakistan
was still talking about investigation and the trial has not
even started whereas in India the trial was progressing fast.
Chidambaram said he was entitled to assume that these
elements enjoyed the tactic support of the state agencies.
"The contrary must be proved," he said.
On opposition criticism of the Indo-Pak joint statement,
he said it was a misinterpretation. The joint statement said
that the action of Pakistan against terrorism should not be
linked to the composite dialogue process.
"This means that Pakistan should not delay or defer
action on the terrorism in the hope that the delay will
trigger the start of the composite dialogue process," he said.
"Don`t assume that you can defer action on terrorism as
a bargaining chip for starting the dialogue process,"
Asked about the problem of naxalism, Chidambaram said the
threat of Maoists has grown over last ten years and has become
more intense in last five years.
"I think our assessment of the naxalite position was
basically flawed," he said.
The Home Minister said a section of the political
spectrum thinks that the naxals are ideology-driven and
friends of the poor and they can bring development to the
people, which is completely wrong.
"If anyone had any illusion on that score, they should
read the politburo of CPI (Maoist) document called `Post
Election: What needs to be done`.
"That is a very revealing document, short of declaring
war against the state. And therefore, once you correctly
assess the character of naxalites, they are committed to armed
struggle to overthrow the established government and to seize
power," he said.
The Home Minister said the government has now decided to
take on the challenge of the naxals squarely. "We must
neutralise that challenge and the first step is to recover the
territory which is no longer under the control of state
governments."
Chidambaram said the West Bengal government has now
reached to the view that there must be joint operations to
flush out the Maoists from the areas of their control.
He praised the steps being taken by Andhra Pradesh
government for virtually eliminating the menace from the
state.
Asked about frequent protests rocking Kashmir, the
Home Minister said the demonstrations have taken place
following certain incidents which were purely personal
disputes.
"Nothing to do with any security force, nothing to do
with CRPF, yet in the valley this becomes a major flashpoint
and then immediately there is a bandh, there is stone pelting
...it is very sad," he said.
Chidambaram said the best way to handle such situations
is to take firm political and administrative action.
"I think immediate political action should be taken.
Political parties, ministers from that area must go there,
meet the people and say stop this, this is not the way to
react to a situation," he said.
"I think Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in the last seven
-eight days has taken firm action," he said.
Bureau Report
