The Indian government has admitted that its policy of not engaging with
Pakistan – post 26/11 terrorist attack – may have been wrong. Outgoing
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said this in an interview with a TV
channel here on Sunday.
Nirupama Rao said: “I think you have to look at policy making in a
dynamic way. I don’t think you are making a policy in a laboratory. You
take into account the surrounding environment, you take into account a
success approach or not. Did that approach yield too many dividence?
Well you have to make assessment of that. I think the decision to
re-engage with Pakistan and to talk about the issues that divide us,
that created a gulf between us, that reduce the trust deficit as the
two Prime Ministers said. I think it is a very realistic approach in
dealing problems with Pakistan”.
She said that Pakistan’s attitude towards tackling terrorism has
altered, a concrete development that India should take note of,
Nirupama Rao said.
“I think the prism through which they see this issue has definitely been altered” she said.
She was replying to a question on whether India saw a change in
Pakistan’s attitude towards terrorism during the recently concluded
foreign secretary-level talks.
Asked whether it was a positive development, Rao said it was an outcome that India must take note of.
“I think when they speak of the fact that non-state elements in this
relationship need to be tackled, that we must look at safe havens and
sanctuaries, that we must look at fake currency, we must look at all
the aspects that are concerned with the business of terror, I think
that is a concrete development,” she said.
Asked whether her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir accepted the
revelations made by Mumbai attacks case accused David Headley in a
Chicago trial court, Rao said the strategic link between the Pakistani
state and militancy and terror needed to be broken.
She said that her country by resuming dialogue with Pakistan would
play its due role for the confidence building between the countries.
She said that with the restoration of dialogue process between the
two countries would help both countries to overcome menace of terrorism
and solve the problems of the region.
She with the resumption of dialogue process would help build the confidence of the both countries. SANA
