Normalisation of ties possible only in terror-free atmosphere

Krishna discusses Sarabjit release,need to bring 26/11 perpetrators to justice

India on Sunday asked Pakistan to act against anti-India terror activities on its soil,in the wake of disclosures made by 26/11 handler Zaibuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal when External Affairs Minister S M Krishna met his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar in Tokyo.

The 40-minute cordial meeting between Krishna and Khar took place on the sidelines of the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan in the Japanese capital.

Krishna raised the disclosures made by Ansari about the involvement of Pakistani state actors in the 2008 attack.

Krishna,according to government sources,also gave more evidence to Pakistan about the anti-India activities indulged in by 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

The minister reiterated the importance of taking action to bring perpetrators of Mumbai to justice and action against terrorists. He emphasised that normalisation of relations could only be in an atmosphere free of terror. Hence,the need for creation of the right atmosphere, said an official source.

Krishna also discussed with Khar the matter pertaining to expediting the release of Sarabjit Singh,who is on a death row in Pakistan,and stressed that both sides should take a larger humanitarian overview of the issue of prisoners in the two countries.

Khar,according to sources,assured that the new Pakistan government was committed to former PM Gilanis goal of bridging relations with India.

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The issue of terrorism had figured prominently in discussions between Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani in New Delhi last week.

India had then asked Pakistan to act on the information on Ansaris disclosures and underlined that bringing perpetrators of 26/11 carnage to justice would be the biggest confidence building measure between the two countries.

Pakistan has denied the involvement of state actors in the Mumbai attack and offered a joint probe into Ansaris disclosures.

Krishna and Khar will review the entire gamut of bilateral issues and review the second round of the post-26/11 dialogue process when they meet in Islamabad in September.