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| Rice: US won't prefer another Indo-Pak war |
| Aasha Khosa / New Delhi Dec 04, 2008, 00:40 IST |
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As the Manmohan Singh government kept its options open to take “whatever necessary action required to protect the integrity and security of India”, visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice indicated that the US would not prefer to see another war between India and Pakistan.
When asked if the US would support India’s military strike on Pakistan to dismantle its terror logistics,
Rice replied, “any response needs to be judged by its effectiveness. It should not create other unintended problems”.
But before flying to Islamabad tomorrow, Rice also issued a stern warning against Pakistan dismissing its excuses on ‘non-state actors’. While Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari claimed that the terrorists were “non-state actors” and the government “could not be held responsible” for their actions, Rice said, “If non-state actors are working within the confines of a state, the government has to be responsible. In that case, the government has to take tough and direct action.”
After a long meeting with Rice, who has been especially sent by US President George W Bush to address India’s concerns on terror attack, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today reiterated that the government was “determined to act decisively” against Pakistan.
“Our action will depend on the response of Pakistan authority. We have given a demarche and expecting their reply. Whatever government considers necessary to protect the integrity and security of the country, will be done,” Mukherjee said today, standing beside Rice.
“The government is determined to act decisively to protect the territorial integrity and the right is its people to live peacefully and with dignity,” he added.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi too maintained the strong pitch for action. “We will give a befitting reply,” Gandhi said at an election rally in Jammu and Kashmir. “We are extending the hand of friendship to our neighbours but that should not be considered as our weakness.”
Mukherjee sought to point out that the Pak-sponsored terrorism has a clear design in these attacks as the terrorists targeted tourist spots, financial capital and scientific and developmental hubs. “There is a design to strike at India’s development,” he said.
Rice assured Mukherjee that US and the world at large stood with India in “this hour of difficulty’’ she said that “while bringing the perpetrators of terrorism to justice was important, prevention of terrorism was also equally important for countries.’’
Rice also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P Chidambaram and opposition leader L K Advani during her visit.
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