ISLAMABAD, Oct 19: Pakistan on Thursday complained of Indian interference in its internal affairs and violation of diplomatic norms, in a strongly-worded reply to broadsides from Indian leaders that questioned Islamabad’s fight against terrorism and pointed fingers at Pakistan’s internal situation.
Reflecting Islamabad’s concern over Wednesday’s speeches by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to military commanders in New Delhi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani advised Indian leaders to avoid making statements that could spoil the atmosphere between the two countries.
The Indian statements were the strongest against Pakistan after President General Pervez Musharraf and Mr Singh decided at their meeting during a non-aligned summit in Havana last month to resume a deadlocked peace process between their countries. And the charges came only a day after the two sides set November 14-15 for their foreign secretaries to meet in New Delhi for a review of the third round of the composite dialogue which was stalled by last July’s deadly train bombings in Mumbai that India blamed on a Pakistan-based militant group.
“We have put Pakistan on notice that any democratic government of India would find it difficult to continue on the present path (of dialogue) to address all outstanding issues unless the government of Pakistan clearly deals with the issue of terrorism,” Mr Singh said in his speech to a conference of Indian armed forces’ commanders.
The Indian defence minister went a step further, telling the same conference that Pakistan’s ‘internal situation’ had deteriorated to the extent of threatening regional peace.
These statements and remarks by the Indian premier and the defence minister “on the internal situation of Pakistan tantamount to interference in its internal affairs,” Mr Durrani said, adding: “Such an attitude is a violation of diplomatic norms and principles of inter-state relations.”
Describing these statements as “nothing but an attempt to divert the attention” of Indian masses and the international community from India’s “own problems and internal wrangling”, Mr Durrani asked India to “first keep its own house in order”.
“Instead of pointing an accusing finger at Pakistan, it should evaluate the situation in held Kashmir where it has set records of state terror for almost two decades,” he said in a reference to the continuing insurgency against New Delhi’s rule in the disputed region. “Human rights violations in Kashmir are unprecedented in the history of mankind.”
In a rebuttal to Mr Mukherjee’s reference to what he called the “marked deterioration in the internal situation of Pakistan which has serious implications on overall stability and peace in the region”, Mr Durrani said more than a dozen separatist movements going on in India were “a clear manifestation of the ill-treatment of the minorities and smaller communities at the hands of the Indian government”.
He said Pakistan had been sincerely and seriously pursuing the composite dialogue with India for the settlement of Kashmir and all other key issues and accused New Delhi of using “one pretext or the other” to stall these talks “as it has no moral ground to negate the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination”.
Mr Mukherjee, in his speech on Wednesday, said there was “no apparent change in Pakistan’s intent to support cross-border terrorism not only in Jammu and Kashmir but also in other parts of the country (India) despite our best efforts to improve relations with Islamabad.”
Mr Durrani referred to Pakistan’s key role in the war on terrorism and extremism since 9/11 attacks on the United States.
