Pak makes it a joke terror mechanism

NEW DELHI: The proposed anti-terror joint mechanism’s efficacy has once again come under serious doubt after Pakistan on Monday made it clear that it will not turn in any terror suspect to India.

Islamabad however said that it would take action against its nationals having any links with the Mumbai attacks if New Delhi provides information.
At the same time, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson rejected the findings of the Mumbai Police, which says it has concrete evidence of the Mumbai bombings being funded and facilitated by the ISI.

“If India feels that it has some information that suggests links with some people, some kind of connection, yes, we will take action and help India investigate,” agency reports from Islamabad quoting foreign office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said.

But Pakistan’s categorical assertion that it will not hand over anybody to India clearly indicated the difficulties in institutionalising the anti-terror joint mechanism. In fact, Pakistan, which had last week reiterated that the terrorists operating in the Valley are “freedom fighters”, said that New Delhi should not expect it to hand over its nationals.

The Indian establishment has made the Mumbai evidence a test case for the joint mechanism. After taking charge as foreign secretary on Sunday, Shiv Shankar Menon had said that India would confront Pakistan with the body of evidence suggesting Pakistani links in the Mumbai attacks. But Pakistan’s foreign office, which is yet to receive the crime file from India, has already dubbed the Mumbai police’s assertions about ISI masterminding the attack as ‘propagandist’. Ms Aslam said the “Indian foreign secretary did not say the ISI was involved.

It was the Mumbai Police Commissioner who made these allegations.”

Pakistan stuck to the familiar line that security agencies here were accusing the ISI to “divert attention from indigenous” elements. “The purpose of issuing such statements is to divert attention from Indian indigenous elements who are behind the terror attacks in Mumbai and Malegaon. This is all internal. This is another effort to externalise internal malaise,” she said.

This stand, clearly, is meant to negate Indian evidence proving that perpetrators of terrorist crimes are being sheltered by the Pakistani establishment. India’s most wanted, the government maintains, are still aiding Pakistan’s “thousand cuts” strategy. Pakistan’s recalcitrance seems set to erode the enthusiasm for institutionalising the joint mechanism, a proposal which is facing stiff opposition resistance.

The latter has already urged the government to take tough measures to counter the threat from Pakistan.
India is expected to confront Pakistan with fresh evidence of its backing for terror at the foreign secretary-level interactions. The prime minister and other government leaders have already said that they would wait for the foreign secretary-level talks’ to conclude to decide on the joint mechanism.

With the investigating agencies coming out with fresh revelations, the government cannot afford to be seen as being ‘soft’ on Pakistan. Although it is eager to give the peace process a try, there is acknowledgement within India that it’s quite a tough task.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan foreign office said that the suspended foreign secretary-level talks would be held after Ramazan. “The foreign secretaries of the two countries are in touch with each other. They have exchanged some ideas. The likely time for their meeting is any time after Ramazan,” reports from Islamabad said.