In 26/11 Metter Pakistan Must Assure Her Cooperation: Ban

In 26/11 Metter Pakistan Must Assure Her Cooperation: BanPakistan should conduct a “full investigation” into the Mumbai attacks and cooperate with India in bringing the perpetrators of the terrorist incident to justice, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said on Wednesday.

Addressing a news conference with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Moon said he had told the premier “that the Pakistani government should have a full investigation into this issue and fully cooperate with the Indian government”.

Moon was replying to a question on whether he was satisfied with Pakistan’s compliance of resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council after the Mumbai attacks.

The resolutions outlawed the Jamaat-ud-Dawah, a front for the Lashker-e-Taiba terror group, and placed four LeT leaders on a list of entities and individuals facing sanctions for terrorist links.

In his opening statement Moon called for resumption of the peace process between India and Pakistan, which was suspended by New Delhi in the wake of the Mumbai incident.

Noting the “complexities of regional relations particularly in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks”, Moon said he had stressed to Gilani and “other interlocutors the importance of maintaining rapprochement between India and Pakistan that has taken its own momentum in the last several years”.

“In the long run, this is a critical aspect of regional relations and one that can pave the way for a new era of cooperation, peaceful co-existence and socio-economic transformation in South Asia,” Ban said.

Replying to a question, Moon said cooperative and friendly relations between India and Pakistan would be beneficial for the two countries and “very desirable for peace and stability in this subcontinent”.

Though bilateral ties had been hit by the Mumbai attacks, India and Pakistan should resume the composite dialogue process. “This is what the UN and international community wants,” Moon said.

Moon commended Gilani’s recent statement that his government would enact a new law, if necessary, to punish Pakistanis who commit crimes outside the country’s boundaries. He said such a step would be “very helpful” in the fight against terrorism.

Gilani clarified that interior ministry chief Rehman Malik had informed him that Pakistan’s laws are adequate for dealing with crimes committed outside the country. Gilani said new laws could still be enacted if necessary.

“Our resolve and intention is that we will never ever allow Pakistani soil to be used for terrorist activities,” he added.

Gilani also sought to bring up the UN’s role in resolving the Kashmir issue.