NEW DELHI, Feb 7: A spokesman for India’s ruling Congress party on Saturday called on the international community to consider declaring Pakistan a terrorist state in the wake of the release of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan.

“The world should now think whether to declare Pakistan a terrorist state,” Manish Tewari, the party’s spokesman, said in New Delhi.

By linking his call to the release of Dr A. Q. Khan, the spokesman ensured that his words were not missed during next week’s visit to the region by US special representative Richard Holbrooke.

“Pakistan is not only exporting terrorism, but also posing danger by allowing nuclear weapons to fall into the hands of terrorists,” Mr Tewari told journalists.

In separate comments, Gen Deepak Kapoor, the chief of the Indian Army, said the “terror infrastructure in Pakistan is existing and active”.

The number of camps “on the other side” can “safely” be placed at between 30 and 50, he alleged. There had been a significant increase in such camps from 32 in 2005 to 53 last year, Gen Kapoor added.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee reiterated that India had so far not received any official response from Pakistan over the Mumbai dossier.