Congress not supporting Singh on talks: Pak

THIMPHU (Agencies) - Pakistan on Wednesday said that well-meaning Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was keen to normalise ties with it but elements in Congress did not support him. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi criticised India for refusing to have meaningful talks till Pakistan acts against what Delhi calls cross-border terrorism, saying that the contention had been dragged too long and nobody is buying that anymore. He insisted that Pakistan has moved considerably against perpetrators of Mumbai attacks and the reply to Indias dossiers recently was not to gain time but to get additional information so that the case can be taken to its logical conclusion. Dialogue is the only sensible thing to do. Two prime ministers of this region, two important countries of this region, have to sit and work out (bilateral issues), said Qureshi, who is here to attend the two-day Saarc Summit. He said Pakistan was always ready for dialogue but it seems India is not yet ready, perhaps because of domestic political considerations. Elaborating on his contention, he said, I am convinced that PM Manmohan Singh wants to move forward. I think, he (Singh) is a well-meaning individual, he has a vision, he wants to leave a legacy behind, he is an academic, he is an economist. He understands the benefits that can accrue to the region if there is normalisation between two important players of the Saarc region. But it seems that elements within the Congress are not giving him the support he should be given, The Times of India quoted Qureshi as saying in an interview with PTI. The Foreign Minister said both India and Pakistan have recognised that dialogue is the only way forward and if that is so, how can we have dialogue not engagement? Pakistan has never shied from the engagement. We have said we are ready. On Indias emphasis that there can be no meaningful dialogue till Pakistan takes credible action against cross-border terrorism, Qureshi said, That has been dragged too long, nobody is buying that anymore because Pakistan has moved considerably forward on that score on the perpetrators of Mumbai. He said seven of the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks have been arrested and the trial is going on. When pointed out that India was unhappy that Pakistan was only targeting Taliban and not groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Qureshi claimed, We do not differentiate. We are not differentiating between acts of terrorism. An act of terrorism is an act of terrorism. When his attention was drawn to LeT chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed against whom India wants action, he cryptically said, Same old beaten track. Qureshi said that by disengaging, India was sending out a message to the terrorists that you control the agenda, by one act, you can scuttle the whole process. Qureshi also reminded India about the agreement that the peace process, started in 2004, is irreversible and acts of terrorism will not impede the peace process. Maintaining that India was not fully recalling that agreement, he said, understand the spirit behind that, recognise the changed situation, recognise that terrorism is a common challenge. He said that harping on the same string, it seems, is not going to pay off.