Thaindian News

By Aroonim Bhuyan
On Board Air India 1, March 1 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday said that despite Pakistan’s promises that it would not allow its territory to be used for terrorist acts against India, the progress on the ground has been “rather nil”.

“I hope the world community gets the message that India is a victim of terrorism, that we have a situation where our neighbour has promised not to allow its territory to be used for perpetrating terrorist acts directed against India, and yet on the ground progress has been rather nil,” Manmohan Singh said.

He was speaking to the media persons on board the special aircraft in which he and his delegation were returning after his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia.

“We are living today in an increasingly inter-dependent world and whosoever world leaders I meet I convey to them that all problems between India and Pakistan can be resolved through meaningful bilateral dialogue if only Pakistan would take a more reasonable attitude in dealing with those terrorist elements who target our country,” he said.

The prime minister’s comments came after his meeting with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz in Saudi capital Riyadh Sunday. The prime minister’s visit also saw the signing of an extradition treaty between India and Saudi Arabia, a close and influential friend of Pakistan.

Before his departure from Riyadh Monday, the prime minister in his address to the Majlis Al-Shura, the Saudi parliament, said that if Pakistan cooperated with India, there would be no problem that the two sides could not resolve. “And we can walk an extra mile to open a new chapter in relations between our two countries.”

When pointed out that India’s growing ties with Saudi Arabia held a lot of symbolism vis-a-vis Pakistan, he said: “Well, my feeling is the Saudi Arabian leadership has a better understanding of the predicament that we face both in Pakistan and in Afghanistan.”