President rejects Pak contention about 'non-state actors'

Says while India wants peace with Pakistan, there can be no compromise with its territorial integrity and state-sponsored terrorism cannot be accepted

Pakistan's contention that "non-state actors" are behind terror attacks in India was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee, who said such elements are not coming from heaven but from territory under its control.

Mukherjee said Pakistan referred to elements perpetrating terrorism as non-state actors.

"...Non-state actors, that is the phrase they used, then I responded by saying that non-state actors are not coming from heaven. Non-state actors are coming from territory under your (Pakistan's) control," Mukherjee said.

"And not now, in 2004 Pakistan agreed that their territories will not be allowed to be used by forces inimical to India," he said in an interview with Euronews.

Mukherjee was asked to comment on India saying such acts are state-sponsored terrorism while Pakistan says they are not.

The President made it clear that while India wants peace with Pakistan, there can be no compromise with its own territorial integrity and state-sponsored terrorism from across the border cannot be accepted.

Mukherjee, on a four-day state visit to Belgium, reiterated that the terror infrastructure in Pakistan needs to be dismantled.

"Terrorist activities must be curbed. And state-sponsored terrorism can never be accepted. Therefore, repeatedly we are saying, please dismantle the terrorist outfits which are located in your area," he said.

India does not have any territorial ambitions and wants peace with its neighbours while maintaining its own territorial integrity, he said.

"In 1971, when Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was Prime Minister of Pakistan, India entered into an agreement which is known as Simla Agreement ...91,000 imprisoned soldiers, prisoners of war, were returned," he said.

"This was just to show the goodwill that in our basic foreign policy we do not have any territorial ambition, we do not have any ambition to export our ideology to any country or we do not have any commercial interests," Mukherjee said.

Referring to his stint as Foreign Minister, Mukherjee said that he used to say that "I can change my friends if I like but I cannot change my neighbours if I like. I shall have to accept the neighbour the way he is.