WASHINGTON, Dec 22: There has only been low-key reaction in official circles here so far to India’s decision to recall its high commissioner from Pakistan and snap rail and road link.
Asked for a comment on the Indian moves at his regular briefing on Friday,State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said: “We are quite aware of the decisions that India has decided to recall its high commissioner to Islamabad and to halt rail and bus links to Pakistan. We see these as internal matters for the Indian government. They are responsible for deciding what is in the best interest of the Indian people.”
But Mr Boucher stressed that the US remained heavily engaged in trying to reduce Indo-Pakistan tensions that have escalated following the attack on the Indian parliament building. India has blamed the attack on the Laskhar-i-Taiba and Jaish-i-Muhammad and charged that Pakistan backs these two organizations.
The two were specifically mentioned by White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer in his opening statement at his daily briefing on Friday, when he said President Bush had asked General Pervez Musharraf to take action against the groups.
What was significant in Mr Fleischer’s remarks was that they came in the opening statement, rather than in reply to questions. Specifically, he said: “President Bush has every confidence in President Musharraf’s capacity to act against the terrorists. The president calls on him to take action against the Lakshar-i-Taiba , the Jaish-i-Muhammad and other terrorist organizations, their leaders, and their finances. The president will support President Musharraf in his efforts against terrorism.”
The State Department had also earlier said more or less the same thing, and on Friday, Mr Boucher, responding to questions, went over the ground again, pointing out that the Indian government had released “certain evidence” linking the two groups,”both of which have bases in Pakistan, to the terrorist attacks on the Indian parliament. As you know, we have listed both those organizations on the executive order that freezes assets of terrorist organizations. We do know that those groups have committed terrorist acts and they intend to sabotage efforts at Indo-Pakistani reconciliation and to undermine President Musharraf. So we see each of these governments as important allies in our fight against terrorism. We will be working with each of them to address terrorism”.
At the same time, Mr Boucher said, the US had made clear in its statements that it had not seen anything which would indicate that the Pakistan government was somehow behind these attacks. “We know these groups have bases in Pakistan. We know how they operate. President Musharraf has made clear his commitment to address extremism within Pakistan. He has begun to take steps to address extremism in Pakistan. He has proved to be a capable and reliable partner in the fight against terrorism. And we are confident that he will continue to take steps in the fight against terrorism and, in that context, we have urged Pakistan to take action against these groups.”
Cautioning against any further escalation of tensions, Mr Boucher said the “specific decisions on what the government of India has to do, we have always said the government of India has to investigate and has to decide what to do in terms of appropriate action. And we will leave those decisions to India”.
QUESTION: Specifically, do you regard the separatist movement in Kashmir, either to join Pakistan or to get independence or whatever, as a terrorist struggle or as a freedom struggle, as Musharraf says?
BOUCHER: I don’t think you can answer a question like that in a very broad and generic sense. I think you have to look at the groups involved. And we have made quite clear that these two groups, specifically, have carried out terrorist acts and we see them as such.
