Back
Front Page
Pranab rules out Israeli-type action against Pakistan
Pranab Mukherjee
New Delhi: India on Saturday virtually ruled out any Israeli-type action against Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, saying the situation was not comparable.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, however, maintained that India would watch how Pakistan dealt with its demands about ending terrorism before its next step.
On whether an Israeli-type assault on Gaza Strip could be an option for the government against Pakistan, he said: “I do not agree to that. Because this is totally wrong.
“I have not gone and occupied any [of] Pakistan’s land which Israel has done [in Palestine]. So, how can the situation be comparable,” Mr. Mukherjee asked, during an interview to CNN-IBN.
“All options open”Reiterating that all options were still “open,” he said, India expected Pakistan to act on the evidence linking elements in the neighbouring country to the Mumbai attacks.
“When I say all options are open, all options are open. There is no need of picking up option a, option b, option c, option d. No need of that. I am not responding to that. What I am responding to is options are open.
“We have not reached the end of the road. Pakistan, what they have asked for, we have given them. We expect them to act on it,” Mr. Mukherjee said.
“If they do not act on it, then what follow-up steps we will take and in what space of time it will take place, future course will decide.”
Asked about his assessment as to who was in charge in Pakistan, he said India had no option. “We shall have to deal only with the government of the day. Whether the government of the day wields real power or not it is not for me to look into that,” he said. “It is not for me to judge. It is for the people of Pakistan to judge, it is for the authorities in Pakistan to judge.”
“Unfortunate”Asked to comment on the sacking of Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Mahmud Ali Durrani for confirming Ajmal Amir’s Pakistani nationality, he termed it an unfortunate situation.
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani sacked Mr. Durrani on Wednesday after the NSA told the domestic and international media that a preliminary investigation by Pakistan had established that the lone terrorist captured by India was a Pakistani national. — PTI
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu