India must stop finger-pointing

ISLAMABAD - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who dashed to Islamabad Thursday to defuse tension between Pakistan and India in the wake of Mumbai attacks, urged the Pakistani leadership to take ‘robust’ and ‘quick’ action against those involved in terrorism.Secretary Rice, who met President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani during her brief stay here, told the journalists later that Pakistan had agreed to cooperate and share information with India about those involved in the assaults in Mumbai.

She said both India and Pakistan were willing to work together to root out the perpetrators of attacks. Rice said, “Pakistan is very committed to the war on terror and does not in any way want to be associated with terrorism elements and is, indeed, committed to rooting them out wherever they find them.” However, she also urged Pakistan to take a hard line on terrorism. “The global threat of extremism and terrorism has to be met by all states, taking a very tough and hard line,” she said.

President Zardari, earlier in his meeting with Secretary Rice, pledged Pakistan would take strong action against anyone on its territory found to have been involved in the Mumbai attacks.The President said he was determined that Pakistan would not be used to orchestrate attacks or shelter terrorists such as those who committed last week’s outrage.He told Secretary Rice he had asked India to see the attacks as a chance to work together rather than be at odds with one another.