India today blamed Pakistan for most of the terror attacks in the country but said it would stand by the neighbour if it takes action against terrorists operating from there.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh also said if Pakistan takes concrete action against terrorists on its territory it will not only improve bilateral relations but also bring peace and stability in the South Asian region.
"Most of the terror attacks in India emanate from Pakistan and it will have to show some sincerity and take concrete steps to rein in the various terror groups operating against India from its soil.
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"The government of India will stand by Pakistan if it takes decisive action against terrorists and their organisations," he said addressing the second edition of counter-terrorism conference organised by the India Foundation in collaboration with the government of Rajasthan.
The Home Minister said for India, Mumbai (26/11) and Pathankot terror attacks have signified a "tectonic shift".
The Mumbai terror attack in 2008 brought terror across the seas to country's economic capital, causing a large number of casualties among the innocent civilian population.
"Likewise, in the recent attack on Pathankot air base, there was a conscious effort to target sensitive assets of the country and also cause large-scale casualties, thus taking the dynamics of terror attack in India a notch higher," he said.
Singh said the challenge of terrorism gets compounded when certain states use it as an instrument of their foreign policy.
"They make perverse distinction between 'good' and 'bad' terrorists. When the states begin covertly raising and indoctrinating bands of youth and equipping them with lethal weapons and weapon systems of mass destruction to promote their geo-political agenda, the magnitude of threat amplifies many times. It makes the task of defeating terrorism much more difficult," he said.
The Home Minister said so long as some countries continue using terrorists as instruments to promote their geo-political agenda, the fight against terrorism will lack due resolve.
"The world must accept the reality without any loss of time that there is no 'good' terrorist," he said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar while addressing the conference said India was in touch with Pakistan after the Pathankot attack and dialogue between the two countries on the terror assault would continue.
"Since Pathankot attack happened, we have been in touch with Pakistan. We have been in touch at my level and the NSA level because only by remaining in touch, we can expect them to progress on the basis of information which we have provided to them," Jaishankar told the Counter Terrorism Conference.
He said the NDA government is trying to eliminate
"bureaucratic procedures" to pave way for smooth flow of business in the country.
He said the government is mulling to give security clearance to foreign investors at the time of entry.
"We have minimised bureaucratic hurdles or bureaucratic procedures as part of the ease of doing business in India. We will have to do some more improvement in that direction.
Earlier security clearance for investors that come from outside was for three years. Now it has been made for 10 years. I want, and will try that it should not be for ten years. Once they (foreign investors) get security clearance there should not be any more (security) clearances," he said.
According to him, India received USD 15 billion FDI in 2015-16 and stood as one of the most attractive destinations for investments.
Singh said he too will be leaving for USA next month and the one of the main agendas of his visit would be a dialogue on homeland security.
