NEW DELHI, July 13: Delhi cautioned Islamabad on Wednesday that peace talks between the two countries could be hampered if ‘terrorist structure’ in Pakistan was not dismantled and attempts at infiltration not checked.

“Time and again this government has said that there is infrastructure of terrorism across the border which has not been dismantled,” Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told a news conference he had called to speak about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s arriving visit to Washington.

“There are training camps across the border, which have not been dismantled and attempts at infiltration continue from across the border and this of course will impact the peace process,” said Mr Saran.

New Delhi’s assertion comes within days of Pakistan denying that such infrastructure existed on the territory under its control. Indian Foreign Minister Kunwar Natwar Singh had stated in London last week that India could provide concrete evidence of terror infrastructure still existing in Pakistan.

Mr Saran also stressed that there were “strong reasons and sound logic for the two countries to engage themselves in the peace process.”

He did not think that India was engaged in the peace process because the United States or any other country wanted it.

“Let it be clearly understood that peace process can only be taken forward if it had the public opinion support and this support is precisely linked to what happens to cross-border terrorism.”

Dr Singh’s government was very focussed on dealing with terrorism,” said Mr Saran, adding that “unless we stand together, how do expect us to win the battle.”