India Will Not Rest Till 26/11 Perpetrators Are Punished, Says PM
Sending a tough message to Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said India "will not rest" till the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks are brought to justice . He also made it clear that
Sending a tough message to Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said India "will not rest" till the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks are brought to justice .
He also made it clear that India expects infrastructure of terror and all safe havens dismantled in that country.
"The Government will not rest till we have brought the perpetrators of this crime to justice. This is our solemn duty," Singh said while addressing a press conference. .
The Prime Minister said India has taken up the matter with Pakistan and it expects the masterminds of the attack and their supporters to be tried and punished. "The infrastructure of terrorism and all safe havens have to be dismantled," he asserted.
The Prime Minister began the press meet saying he wished to say a few words on the eve of the first anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Describing the attacks as a calculated attempt by "forces outside the country", he said these were aimed at destabilising India's secular polity, create communal discord and undermine the country's economic and social progress.
"Such forces should have no doubt that they will fail in their attempts," he asserted adding, "the supreme sacrifice that so many of our countrymen and women and those from foreign lands made last November will not go in vain".
The 26/11 audacious attacks had left 166 killed and 304 injured.
Singh asserted that India's commitment to an open, democratic and secular society "will not be shaken by such assaults on our way of life".
Stressing that this is a day of remembrance and of paying homage to all those innocent civilians and the brave men in uniform who lost their lives in the worst terror attacks the country has seen, the Prime Minister had words of comfort for the affected families.
"On behalf of the nation, I would like to send a message to each and every one of their families that we share their grief with a very heavy heart. We will never forget the suffering they have gone through. Our thoughts are with them as they pray for the souls of their loved ones," he said.
He said within the country several measures have been taken to strengthen the security and intelligence system. An effective response mechanism to deter such threats in future has been put in place.
"We will take more such steps till we are satisfied that we have foolproof arrangements in place," he said while assuring the nation that strengthening internal security is his Government's top priority.
"We will leave no stone unturned to safeguard and protect the lives of our citizens," he said.
US President Barack Obama has assured India that the US-China Joint Statement on Indo-Pak dialogue does not mean involvement of a "third power" in the bilateral engagement, Manmohan Singh said.
"The reference to South Asia in the US-China Joint Statement is not aimed mediation by any third power (in Indo-Pak dialogue). I am satisfied with what President Obama has assured me," Singh said addressing a press conference .
Singh said India welcomed the peaceful rise of China. "We ourselves are engaged with China for the last five years. We have been discussing the border problems. Meanwhile, our economic relations have grown in their intensity. China is one of our major trading partners and therefore we are all in favour of rest of the world engaging with China," Singh said.
Singh said that he did mention to Obama that in the recent weeks and months India has noticed "greater degree of assertiveness" on the part of China.
"But I did not seek any help from the US. We just reviewed the world situation and I am confident that with true, purposeful negotiations between our two countries we can resolve contentious issues," the Prime Minister said. PTI