India puts global pressure on Pak, service chiefs brief PM

ON THE TERROR TRAIL

Major foreign powers and Pakistan’s “friends” — the US, China and Saudi Arabia — today spoke to India and tried to talk down tempers as Pakistan announced that though it was not for war and was itself a “victim” of terror, it would not be cowed down by anyone.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi called up External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and discussed the situation arising out of the recent Mumbai terror attacks.

India also talked to Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal and expressed its dissatisfaction over token actions by Pakistan against those responsible for the Mumbai strikes.

During his meeting with the Saudi minister, Mukherjee said India had so far exercised restraint despite the outrage in the country over the attacks.

The Saudi foreign minister, while describing terrorism as an “evil” and “cancer”, underlined that all countries needed to cooperate to “destroy” the scourge completely.

In addition, chiefs of the three armed forces met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and reviewed the security situation in the country. Army chief General Deepak Kapoor, his Naval counterpart Admiral Sureesh Mehta and Air Force chief Air Marshal Fali S Major briefed the prime minister about the recent developments.

Home Minister P Chidambaram, while briefing about the Cabinet decisions, said a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) would be held later in the evening. This is unusual because CCS meetings are usually not made public.

Last night, Mukherjee is understood to have conveyed to his counterparts that Pakistan is not doing enough against those behind the Mumbai carnage. He is believed to have told Rice and Jiechi to put pressure on Pakistan to ensure that those responsible for the Mumbai attacks are brought to justice.