Pak regrets Singh's statement on terror: Basit

Pakistan has expressed regret over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s comments asking Islamabad to give up the use of terrorism as a “state policy”, saying its judiciary would decide on the action to be taken against those involved in last year’s Mumbai attacks.

Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said Singh’s statement had no link with realty and was “very regrettable”. World leaders had lauded Pakistan’s efforts against terrorism in the recent meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan forum though India is unfortunately unable to realise this, he said.

“Pakistan has a transparent agenda for the meeting of the foreign secretaries of the two countries. It wants to hold dialogue with a positive attitude, otherwise some other powers take the benefit of the resulting political vacuum,” said Basit.

Pakistan’s judiciary will decide on the action to be taken against those involved in the Mumbai attacks and investigations are underway in the light of evidence provided by the Indian government, he said.

Addressing a press conference in Pittsburgh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said Pakistan must give up the use of terrorism as a “state policy” and bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to book.