Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday described as "endless exercise" Pakistan seeking fresh clarifications on Mumbai terror attack and said this would perhaps be the last time he would be answering them. "It can't be an endless exercise. It has to come to an end. It is an endless exercise, very tiresome. I think perhaps this is the last time I will answer Pakistan's questions on this issue," he told Times Now. He was answering questions on Islamabad giving a fresh dossier in which it has sought replies on some new questions relating to the Mumbai terror attack.
Chidambaram said these are four minor questions which can be easily answered and he has asked officials to prepare the reply. "We will send the replies," he said. He said the material the Indian government has given was enough to secure conviction of the accused in Pakistan's courts. "I am sorry for the prosecutors of Pakistan who think this is not enough to conclude investigations and start prosecution. The material given to Pakistan is enough for any court of law to convict the accused," he said. The Home Minister said there has to be some supplementary investigations on the Pakistani soil and bring the accused to the justice.
Chidambaram said Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative Lakhvi is an accused who can be convicted easily. "Of course a judge has to be appointed. There has to be a trial and a judgement of conviction. If they do the investigation along with the evidence we have given, the accused can be nailed very easily. But they are nowhere near starting the trial whereas in India we are halfway into Kasab's trial," he said. "It is a very sad commentary on the legal skills of the prosecutors in Pakistan. The material given to Pakistan is enough for any court of law to convict the accused," he said. Chidambaram said it remained India's position that no non-state actor can launch terror attack of this scale and magnitude on India without state support. "There are elements in Pakistani establishment who support terrorist groups and it is for the Pakistani establishment to act against these elements," he said. The Home Minister said the Lashkar is a "big threat to India and it is something that I would like the Pakistan government and the establishment to prove the contrary".
Chidambaram said he was entitled to assume that these elements enjoyed the tacit 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 Communist Party of India-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 Central Reserve Police Force, 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.
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