‘Hand over fugitives, even if they are your citizens’

A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior ministers and service chiefs discussed the security scenario and defence preparedness, India bluntly told Pakistan to act on evidence.

A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior ministers and service chiefs discussed the security scenario and defence preparedness, India bluntly told Pakistan to act on evidence, hand over fugitives even if they are Pakistani citizens and keep its word on not allowing its territory to be used by terrorists.

“Not once, twice or thrice but as many as 10 times we have given evidence. Pakistan must cooperate. No question of mere denial. You will be caught in your denial then,” External Affair Minister Pranab Mukherjee told a seminar organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata.

And addressing a rally near the international border in Jammu, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi warned Pakistan that India was “capable of giving a befitting reply”.

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“Pakistan continues to support terrorism from its soil despite our overtures of peace and dialogue. We are capable of giving a

befitting reply, our sentiments of brotherhood and friendship should not be construed as our weakness,” Gandhi said at Dablehar in R S Pura.

In Kolkata, Mukherjee said Pakistan has to abide by its commitments given first by former president Pervez Musharraf and then by Asif Ali Zardari.

He said Pakistan has to arrest the fugitives who have taken shelter in that country. “Those who are Indian citizens, hand them over to us. And those who are required for investigations, may be your citizens, also hand them over to us,” he said.

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He took strong exception to contradictory statements from Pakistan about the presence of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar in that country. “Masood Azhar was under house arrest was the observation of the Pakistan Defence Minister (Chowdhury Mukthar Ahmed). But after that contradictory statements are emanating from the country. Sometimes it is said he (Azhar) is not seen. Sometimes it is said that he is not available in Pakistan,” he said.

“We can deal only with the government of the day. Therefore, all arguments which are coming from the other side (Pakistan) are not really convincing… We have the evidence, including intercepts of the conversation via satellite. Yesterday I described the conversation as a chilling account. The captured living terrorist (Ajmal Ameer Kasab) gave the chilling account of what transpired between him and the controller from that side. They were monitoring Indian television. We have this type of information,” he said.

Pakistan must pursue these evidence and take action, he said, noting that “words must be followed up by action”.