0
NEW DELHI, July 12: A day after serial blasts killed close to 200 commuters in Mumbai’s local trains, India vowed on Wednesday to continue the peace process with Pakistan even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned that no one could make his country kneel.
“Anything done to disturb peace should be stopped. It is our responsibility to see that such activities are put to an end,” Home Minister Shivraj Patil told a news conference here.
The bombings were meant to upset the peace process, Home Secretary V.K. Duggal told the news conference. “It will take time to take on forces trying to derail the ongoing peace process,” he said.
“The confidence-building measures (with Pakistan) will continue. The peace process will not be slowed down,” he added.
Prime Minister Singh went on television to laud Mumbai’s swift recovery after Tuesday’s bombings that ripped apart at least seven train coaches during the evening rush hour.
“Yesterday, the people of Mumbai and Srinagar once again endured the trauma of terrorism. The nation stands by them in this hour of grief. I pay tribute to all those who showed courage and humanism in responding to the cowardice of terrorists,” Dr Singh said.
He described the attackers as merchants of death who had previously too sought to undermine India’s peace and prosperity.
“These elements have not yet understood that we Indians can stand united... that we will stand united. They have not yet understood that we will never let them win,” Dr Singh declared.
Saluting the people of Mumbai and Srinagar for the speed with which they returned to normal life, he said: “This is living proof of our contempt for terrorism.”
“Mumbai stands tall once again as the symbol of a united India...an inclusive India. Let me say again, no one can make India kneel. No one can come in the path of our progress. The wheels of our economy will move on. India will continue to walk tall, and with confidence.
“Let me assure you that the government will do whatever is required to deal with the challenge at hand. We will win this war against terror. Nothing will break our resolve.”
Mr Duggal said no leads had come into Tuesday’s attacks although police investigations were in full swing.
KASURI’S REMARKS: India on Wednesday reacted angrily to comments by Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri and asked Pakistan to reject his alleged statement that terrorist attacks like the ones in Mumbai on Tuesday were somehow happening because of the slow pace of Kashmir talks.
“We find it appalling that Foreign Minister Kasuri should seek to link this blatant and inhuman act of terror against innocent men, women and children to the so-called lack of resolution of disputes between India and Pakistan,” an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said.
Mr Kasuri, who is in the United States, was quoted on Wednesday as speaking of incremental progress in talks with India over the Kashmir dispute. But, in the comments quoted by Indian news agencies, there appeared to be no reference to the tragedy in Mumbai.
“There have been some confidence-building measures but even those are half-hearted,” he was quoted by Press Trust of India as saying. He also apparently said that while “incremental approach is good... now we must tackle real issues.” He then reportedly said “this is the best way of tackling extremism in South Asia.”
The Indian spokesman was evidently more confident of his own insights into what was said by the foreign minister.
According to him, Mr Kasuri’s “remarks appear to suggest that Pakistan will cooperate with India against the scourge of cross-border terrorism and terrorist violence only if such so-called disputes are resolved.
“Terrorism cannot be tolerated on any grounds whatsoever, and no cause justifies the murder of innocent people. We would hope that the Government of Pakistan rejects any such linkage and joins hands together with India to defeat the forces of terrorism, based on an ideology of extremism and violence.
“We would urge Pakistan to take urgent steps to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on the territory under its control, act resolutely against groups and individuals, who are responsible for terrorist violence and fulfil its solemn commitments enshrined in the India-Pakistan Joint Press Statement of January 6, 2004.”
The spokesman also slammed the recent elections in AJK, saying: “Once again the entire exercise shows the lack of credibility of the electoral process in the so-called AJK.”
The spokesman said nominations of 30 out of 31 candidates of the pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front were rejected after they refused to sign the declaration of Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan.
