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PM WRONG in calling Gilani man of peace: Yashwant Sinha
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has "erred" in calling his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani a "man of peace" as his country continues to sponsor cross-border terrorism.
Reacting to the remark of Singh after a meeting with Gilani on the sidelines of the Saarc Summit in the Maldives, BJP leader and former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said that Pakistan has done nothing either in the 26/11 Mumbai attack case or on issue of terrorism.
"The prime minister of India has erred in describing Mr Gilani as a man of peace. The central issue between India and Pakistan has been cross-border terrorism and there is nothing Pakistan has done to warrant the impression that they are serious about tackling the issue," Sinha said.
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'The PM is oblivious to what his own people are saying'
He said that while Singh praised Gilani, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik maintained that there is no evidence against Jamaat-ud-Dawa led by Hafiz Saeed.
"We know of the involvement of Saeed and the Inter-Services Intelligence in terror activities through documented evidence worldwide," Sinha said.
He said that while the Indian army chief, the Home Minister and the Defence Minister have talked about Pakistan's involvement in terror acts, Prime Minister Singh seemed to be "oblivious" of what his own people were saying.
"This will not be acceptable to the people of India," Sinha said.
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'Pak has always tried to draw parity with India on terrorism'
Asked about Malik's statement that 26/11 convict Ajmal Kasab should be hanged, Sinha said, "At the same time, he is also saying that those involved in Samjhauta Express blast should also be hanged. Be that as it may, Pakistan always tried to draw parity with India on the issue of terrorism."
Sinha said that when India talks about Pakistani interference in Kashmir, the neighbouring country mentions Balochistan. Similarly, when the issue of bringing 26/11 accused to book is raised, Pakistan talks about Hindu terror and Samjhauta blast, he said.
"Our PM had said after 26/11 that we will not rest till the perpetrators of the attack were brought to book. But till now who, other than Kasab, has been brought to book in the Mumbai case?" Sinha asked.
He said that Pakistan should stop using the "well- crafted" arguments about the involvement of "state actors" and "non-state actors" in terror acts against India.
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'We forget the past very easily'
The BJP leader also said that ISI was reportedly behind the attack on India's embassy in Kabul. Asked about External Affairs Minister S M Krishna's comments that the trust deficit between the two countries is shrinking, Sinha said he did not how this could be stated.
"The trust deficit will start shrinking only when Pakistan recognises the involvement of state actors in terrorist acts, when it stops talking with a forked tongue on Indo-Pak relations and stops seeking parity on these issues," he said.
The BJP leader emphasised that the Indian government and its top officials easily forget the terror acts in a short time and this was leading to such an attitude towards Pakistan.
"We forget the past very easily," Sinha said.