Rice: Tough talk

Dec. 6: Pakistan is scurrying to respond within 24 hours to India’s demand for action against terror outfits and hand over fugitives amid reports of a US threat that if Islamabad doesn’t act, Washington will.

US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice is understood to have sent out the message to the political establishment in Islamabad, telling it there was “irrefutable evidence” of involvement of elements in Pakistan in the terror strike on Mumbai.

The tough words, as reported by the Pakistan newspaper Dawn, coincided with Pakistan officials putting together a response to India’s demand for action against banned terrorist organisations operating on its soil and the handing over of fugitives.

“Hectic consultations are going on at various levels in the government to formulate a response to India’s demarche in the next 24 hours,” a senior official said on the condition of anonymity.

The official said it would be a “comprehensive, considered and well thought-out” response, which the government would forward to Delhi after President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to Istanbul. “We hope to forward this response to India in the next couple of days,” the official added.

Rice, who spent four hours in Islamabad on Thursday after a day’s visit to Delhi, told the Pakistani leadership it had no option but to act urgently to bring the perpetrators to justice and avert a strong international response.

“Otherwise, the US will act,” she is understood to have said. Rice later told reporters she found Pakistan “focused and committed to act”.

The statement was reportedly made by Rice during her meetings with President Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez, the Dawn said, quoting sources privy to the discussions.

However, the report did not say if Rice had laid on the table the “irrefutable evidence” she claims there was against Pakistan.

The Indian leadership furnished before Rice on Wednesday the evidence gathered by investigators to prove the link between the terrorists and elements based in Pakistan, especially the Lashkar-e-Toiba.

In the demarche handed to Pakistan’s ambassador to India, Delhi is understood to have demanded handing over of 20 fugitives besides action against the banned outfits.

But Pakistan says only three persons are mentioned in the list — Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon and Masood Azhar — for “committing acts of terror on its soil”.

Pakistan maintains that Dawood and Memon are Indian nationals who are not present on its soil and has asked for sufficient actionable evidence against Azhar, the terrorist freed by India in exchange for the Kandahar plane hostages in 1999.

Prime Minister Gilani and ISI chief Pasha had met yesterday to firm up Pakistan’s response and its offer for joint investigation in the attacks.

The Pakistani official refuted speculation about a possible joint US-India action in areas where most militant organisations are allegedly based, saying: “It is not child’s play.”

The speculation about a possible joint action came following reports that the US, with India’s support, may move the UN to include the names of at least four former top ISI officials on the list of terrorists. Among them is the former ISI boss, retired Lt Gen. Hameed Gul.

“I know for sure that the Americans have given a list containing names of four ISI officials to the UN for inclusion in the world body’s list of terrorists,” Gul said.