* Indian PM says Pakistan has formally admitted LT involvement in Mumbai attacks
* Information sought by Pakistan will be provided soon
By Iftikhar Gilani
NEW DELHI: Defending the Sharm el-Sheikh joint statement between India and Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday asserted the two nuclear powers have to trust each other or risk war.
Intervening in a Lok Sabha debate, he said Pakistan had not provided any dossier on Indian involvement in Balochistan, adding New Delhi would verify Pakistan’s claims on tackling terrorism before moving forward. He said the Indo-Pak dialogue should be seen in the context of Pakistan formally admitting that its nationals had conducted the 26/11 attacks and the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LT) had conspired, financed and executed the attack. However, he added, further steps were expected. “We need evidence that action is being taken to outlaw, disarm and shut down the terrorist groups and their front organisations that still operate on Pakistani soil and which continue to pose a great threat to our country,” AFP quoted him as saying.
Soon: He said some information requested by Pakistan through the dossier would be provided shortly. He said dialogue and engagement were best, as “unless we talk directly to Pakistan, we will have to rely on a third party”. Singh said the Balochistan issue was added to the joint statement at Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s request, adding he had assured the Pakistani premier that India was “not interested in destabilising Pakistan”.
