Date:10/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/10/stories/2006091002931100.htm

National

`India has no hand in Baloch unrest'

Staff Reporter

No basis for Pakistan Minister's remark

Coimbatore: Union Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed on Saturday refuted the charge of Indian hand in the unrest in Balochistan.

Talking to newsmen here, he said there was no basis for such a remark made by Pakistan Information and Broadcasting Minister Mohammed Ali Durrani. India was always open to dialogue with Pakistan to end violence and terror in the region. He said India wanted Pakistan to honour its commitment made in January 2004 on ending cross-border terrorism.

Need for amity

Asked whether he saw Pakistani hand in Friday's blasts in Malegaon, Mr. Ahamed refused to comment, saying the Union Home Ministry was closely following the investigations. The need of the hour was to maintain peace and harmony by defeating communal forces.

Describing the blasts as horrible and unimaginable, he said investigations would expose the culprits. Those trying to foment communal disharmony would be dealt with firmly.

Asked whether there was any need for a stringent law in view of the increasing subversive activities, Mr. Ahamed said the existing one was enough to curb them.

On the ethnic strife in Sri Lanka, he said: "India was always for negotiations so that all sections got equal rights."

Mr. Ahamed said six more regional passport offices would be started by 2007 — Madurai and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu; Amirtsar in Punjab, Dehra Dun in Uttaranchal, Shimla in Himachal Pradesh and Raipur in Chhattisgarh.