US to Pak: Stop India infiltration, try 26/11 suspects

Oracle

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WASHINGTON: Underlining its hands off policy on the Kashmir issue, the US has asked Pakistan to first show progress in stopping cross-border infiltration into India and the trial of the Mumbai terror attack suspects.

"No, there's no change right now" in US policy on Kashmir, US assistant secretary of state for South Asia, Robert Blake said in an online conversation on Tuesday with Teresita Schaffer, director of the South Asia Programme at Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington think tank.

"I think at this point the top priority for India and Pakistan is, first, to kind of get their own bilateral dialogue going in a more systematic way," he said noting that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "is personally and deeply committed to achieving peace with Pakistan".

"But he needs to see progress on these two important issues... that is, progress to stop some of the cross-border infiltration that's taking place into India, but also progress on the trial of the Mumbai suspects.

"And if we can see that, I think that there will be a flourishing of the dialogue that could take place. But those are very important things that need to take place."

He agreed with Schaffer that the main interest of the United States is that they be able to agree on something that makes the risk of a war that could go nuclear disappear.

Nothing that "from 2004 to 2007, in fact, the two countries did make quite a lot of progress on Kashmir", Blake said: "And that, again, could be picked up, I think, relatively quickly if they can sort out some of these other issues."

"This is going to have to be a kind of incremental process to build up to that stage where they can tackle this very hot button issue (Kashmir) for both of those countries."

At the state department, spokesperson Phillip J. Crowley too made a similar point. Asked to comment on Manmohan Singh's offer to open peace talks with the separatist and extremist elements in Kashmir, he said: "All I would say is that we recognise that this is a very, very important issue between India and Pakistan."

"And as the dialogue between India and Pakistan continues to expand, including at the leader level, that we would hope that India and Pakistan can make progress in understanding this issue and moving forward, just as they did a few years ago."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...on-try-26/11-suspects/articleshow/6027032.cms
 

ajtr

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India backs US aid to Pakistan, says Blake


WASHINGTON: India supports the US economic package for Pakistan, although it does have concerns about the military assistance, a senior US official said on Tuesday.
"They believe we have a shared interest in helping to stabilise Pakistan," said Robert Blake, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia.

"They're certainly well aware that a spiral-down would not be in India's interests," he told a State Department blog forum.

In an earlier briefing on Monday afternoon, Mr Blake said the US had been "in the forefront of countries" urging Pakistan to not only continue its operations in Swat and South Waziristan, but also to address the problem in Punjab.

The Punjab-based groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, he said, were operating against India and had also targeted the United States.

"This will remain a very, very high priority for us and you should not doubt the sincerity of that statement," said Mr Blake when an Indian journalist suggested that the US was not seriously persuading Pakistan to act against groups like the Lashkar.

Mr Blake said that India and Pakistan's proxy in Afghanistan was also discussed in last week's strategic dialogue between the United States and India.

But "we were much more focused on the future of Afghanistan and how the training effort is going and the reconciliation process and the whole process of rebuilding the economy and so forth", he said.During the strategic dialogue, the US also reaffirmed its support for "the very important work" that India had undertaken in Pakistan, he said.

"Our determination (is) to see if we can find ways to work together more in Afghanistan. Because we do believe that India is playing a constructive role. So that may be a new area of cooperation for us," he said.

The US-India strategic dialogue, held in Washington last week, aimed at deepening the ties between the two countries which have been warming for the past decade.

In March, the Obama administration held a similar dialogue with Pakistan and assured it that the United States would not leave it alone after the Afghan war as it had long-term interests in that country.

But Mr Blake said the Indians no longer objected to the aid package as they too believed that Pakistan should be helped to rebuild its economy.

Mr Blake, however, conceded that India had been more sceptical over US military support to Pakistan, but said: "I think they understand that we are trying to build up Pakistan's counter-insurgency capabilities."
 

ajtr

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Aren't people in india aware of usa spin of words..they say what their host want to listen....
 

Oracle

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No change in Kashmir policy: US

WASHINGTON: Asserting that there is "no change" in its Kashmir policy, the US on Wednesday hoped that India and Pakistan would make progress on resolving the "important issue".

"We recognise that this is a very, very important issue between India and Pakistan," the state department spokesman, P J Crowley, told reporters at his daily news briefing.

He was responding to a question on the visit of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Jammu and Kashmir and his offer of talks with the separatist if they abandon violence and abide by the Indian constitution.

"As the dialogue between India and Pakistan, continues to expand, including at the leader level, that we would hope that India and Pakistan can make progress in understanding this issue and moving forward, just as they did a few years ago," Crowley said.

Earlier in the day, appearing at a state department Blog Forum, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, said there is no change in America's policy on Kashmir.

"No, there's no change right now," Blake said in response to a question. I think at this point the top priority for India and Pakistan is, first, to kind of get their own bilateral dialogue going in a more systematic way," he said.

As I said, there is very important meetings that will be taking place in Islamabad over the next two months and the Indians have in Prime Minister Singh somebody who I think is personally and deeply committed to achieving peace with Pakistan, Blake said.

"But he (Prime Minister) needs to see progress on these two important issues that I spoke of; that is, progress to stop some of the cross-border infiltration that's taking place into India, but also progress on the trial of the Mumbai suspects," said the State Department official.

If we can see that, I think that there will be a flourishing of the dialogue that could take place but those are very important things that need to take place, he said.

Blake noted that from 2004 to 2007, the two countries did make quite a lot of progress on Kashmir, where they had this bilateral back channel that took place in which they had a chance for the first time to sit down very quietly and explore the outlines of an agreement.

"They didn't quite reach the end of it, but I think they made a great deal of progress.

And that, again, could be picked up, I think, relatively quickly if they can sort out some of these other issues that I talked about," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/No-change-in-Kashmir-policy-US-/articleshow/6026710.cms
 

ajtr

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Did they ever specify their kashmir policy..According to usa whole of J&K is a disputed territory its one way that usa is endorsing pakistan's policy on J&K.Now if usa say their is no change in kashmir policy that doesnt mean they are saying J&K is integral part of india instead they are saying that india is illegally occupying J&K which is disputed between pak and ind.
 

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'ISI guided LeT at every step for 26/11'


NEW DELHI: Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley has confirmed that Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists carried out the Mumbai attack under the "guidance" of Pakistan's ISI.

Headley, who is being interrogated in the US by a team of NIA officials, has said that the notorious ISI was engaged with the Lashkar commanders responsible for the 26/11 carnage at "each and every stage of the plot".

The account of the terrorist, who receed targets for Lashkar terrorists across the country, corroborates India's stand about the involvement of Pakistani state actors in terrorism, trains the spotlight on LeT-ISI tandem, and explains Pakistan's unwillingness to clamp down on the Lashkar leadership.

Headley has mentioned serving officers of Pakistan army — Major Sameer Ali, Major Iqbal and Major Haroon — as those who collaborated with the Laskhar terrorists. Major Sameer and Major Iqbal figured in the dossier India gave to Pakistani foreign secretary Salman Bashir.

NIA's sessions with Headley tally with what he is learnt to have told the FBI, including the crucial bit about Hafiz Saeed being in the loop through the plot.


Whether the disclosures that undercut its denial will lead Pakistan to step up its cooperation with the 26/11 probe remains unclear.

Home minister P Chidambaram is to demand voice samples of seven Lashkar commanders including Zakiur
Rahman Lakhvi, Zarar Shah, Abu Al Qama and others when he meets his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik during his visit to Islamabad for the conference of home ministers from SAARC region. Pakistan has so far refused to give voice samples which could help investigators ascertain the identity of those who instructed the 26/11 attackers as they went about their deadly assignment.

Headley has also spoken of how post-26/11, ISI wanted Lashkar to disown the Mumbai attack to turn the global attention away from the terror outfit that Pakistan considers to be an important strategic asset to be used against India. With Ajmal Kasab snared, and investigations by India and FBI homing in its nexus with Lashkar, ISI planned to blame the carnage on al-Qaida. It even prepared a list of 4-5 al-Qaida figures who were to be projected as the conspirators.

Significantly, the ploy did not work because of resitance from Lashkar leaders, particularly Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, one of the 26/11 masterminds. Lashkar leaders who have proclaimed themselves to be innocent and have accused India of levelling baseless charges, felt that the increased notoriety after 26/11 had raised the terror profile of the group and was going to help them with recruitment and funds.


Headley also admitted that while he had started off as a Lashkar recruit, he started drifting towards Al Qaida under the influence of Major Abdul Rahman Saeed. Saeed, who served with 6 Baloch Regiment of Pakistan army, took voluntary retirement in 2002 to devote himself full time to Al Qaida's cause. Headley, who respected Saeed for his "sacrifice", went high in the retired major'e esteem because of precise inputs he provided for the 26/11 attack.

Saeed, with the help of Ilyas Kashmiri, drafted him for the plan to attack Danish newspaper Jylland Posten which published controversial cartoons of Prophet Mohammad. This, when Headley's original handler Sajid Mir wanted him to focus on Lashkar's anti-India mission.

During his Pakistan visit, Chidambaram will also ask Islamabad to locate and arrest 13 absconders found guilty by Indian courts.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-every-step-for-26/11/articleshow/6030261.cms
 

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Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency 'supports' Taliban

A new report claims to provide the most concrete evidence yet of direct links between Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The report says the ISI is providing funding, training and sanctuary to the Taliban on a scale much larger than previously thought.

The document was prepared by the London School of Economics (LSE).

A spokesman for Pakistan's military rejected the claims as part of a malicious campaign against the country.
'Rubbish'

The report's author spoke to nine Taliban field commanders in Afghanistan earlier this year.

He concludes that Pakistan's relationship with the insturgents runs far deeper than previously realised.

Some of those interviewed suggested that the ISI even attends meetings of the Taliban's supreme council. They claim that by backing the insurgents Pakistan's security service is trying to undermine Indian influence in Afghanistan.

The report concludes that without a significant change in approach by Pakistan, both the Afghan government and international community will find it impossible to end the insurgency in Afghanistan.

The spokesman for Pakistan's military said the claims were "rubbish" and part of a malicious campaign against the country's military and security agencies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10302946.stm
 

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