1. Qureshi’s attack on Pillai a diversionary tactic
New Delhi: India sees the outburst by Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi against Home Secretary G K Pillai as an effort to divert attention from the issue of terrorism and feels that he could have been forced to do so by elements in Pakistan who want to scuttle the talks.
Government sources said the hawkish elements in Pakistan, which do not want dialogue between the two countries, were upset when the talks between the Home Ministers and Home Secretaries went off well last month.
The sources noted that the meeting between Home Ministers last month passed off so well that Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik went to the extent of telling P Chidambaram that India would not be disappointed when Islamabad replies to terror related queries the next time.
However, Qureshi, during his joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna in Islamabad on Thursday, equated Pillai with Jamaat-ud Dawa chief and Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, by saying that the Home Secretary was making negative comments.
Qureshi’s statement was nothing but a diversionary tactic of Pakistan as it was yet to take any action on India’s core concerns like infiltration into India which has increased in recent days, and providing the voice samples of terrorists and their handlers involved in the Mumbai attack, sources said on Friday.
"The hawks in Pakistan do not want Indo-Pak talks. These elements could be behind the sudden outburst of Qureshi," a source said.
Sources said Pakistan was peeved over Pillai’s statement that LeT operative David Headley has revealed involvement of ISI in Mumbai terror attack from beginning to end.
The sources said the contents of Pillai’s statement had already been conveyed to Pakistan.
"For rest of the information, India has told Pakistan to get in touch with the US Department of Justice and FBI. Home Secretary has only repeated what the Pakistani agencies and government are well aware of," the source said. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/573346.aspx
2.Indian PM seeks views of Chief Minister on Sri Lanka
Chennai: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has sought views and advice of Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on ways to be adopted for the process of genuine reconciliation to resolve the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka.
Responding to the Chief Minister’s letter of July 3, Dr Singh, in his reply of July 9, stated that “my government will certainly do all that it can to enable the Tamils in Sri Lankan to live a life of dignity and self-respect. We will use our influence and make efforts to help in the restoration of normal life in northern and eastern Sri Lanka through the rapid rehabilitation of the internally displaced persons [IDP].”
Pointing out that the Union government had committed Rs. 500 crore for the purpose, the Prime Minister said the government would also render assistance in the construction of 50,000 houses for IDPs. Besides, it was trying to restore normal economic activity in the areas by building infrastructure and promoting sustainable livelihood.
Thanking Mr Karunanidhi for his letter on the situation of the Tamils, Dr. Singh mentioned that apart from his discussion with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa last month, he had recently met a delegation of Members of the Sri Lankan Parliament who belonged to the Tamil National Alliance. http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article518724.ece
