RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD ( 2009-01-07 03:16:15 ) :Pakistan has emphatically rejected the allegations levelled by Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh that the Mumbai attackers must have had support of Pakistani spy agencies. "Instead of responding positively to Pakistan's offer of co-operation and constructive proposals, India has chosen to embark on a propaganda offensive", says a foreign office statement issued here on Tuesday.

Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh earlier accused Pakistani intelligence agencies of backing the perpetrators of Mumbai terrorist attacks. It will not only ratchet up tensions but also occlude facts and destroy all prospects of serious and objective investigations into the Mumbai attacks, says the foreign office statement.

Pakistan said that the approach of Indian government is fraught with grave risks and will further vitiate the situation in the region. "Only a day before, the Indian government was advised not to embark on political point scoring, but regrettably the advice was not heeded", it added. Pakistan itself is a victim of terrorism and this pernicious phenomenon is regionally pervasive, as Pakistan has suffered more terror attacks than India, says the statement.

Rejecting the allegations, the foreign office said that Pakistan is not a state sponsor of terrorism as our civilian and armed forces causalities over the past years in terror attacks and in countering terrorism have been far more than that of India. The foreign office underlined in the statement that many South Asian states have been victims of all kinds and manifestations of terrorism.

Pakistan urged India to show restraint and stop the policy of casting accusations without uncovering full facts as investigations are still underway. Vilifying Pakistan or for that matter any of its state institutions on this score is unwarranted and unacceptable and this is a sure way to close avenues of co-operation in combating this menace, it added. It called upon India to be co-operative to uncover the full facts behind Mumbai terrorist attacks. In this regard, Pakistan awaits response to its constructive proposals, including joint investigation, a joint commission under the NSAs of the two countries and high level visit from Pakistan.

"We need no exhortations from India. Indian government is well advised to take careful stock of its own policies and conduct that are contributory to the problems faced by the region", the statement concluded.



Copyright Business Recorder, 2009