SHUT JIHAD FACTORIES, INDIA-RUSSIA TELL PAK

GAURAV C. SAWANT

MOSCOW, OCT 22

In perhaps its harshest ever indictment of Pakistan sponsored terror without naming Islamabad, in a joint statement with Russia, New Delhi and Moscow said states that provide aid, abetment and shelter for terrorist activities are themselves as guilty as the actual perpetrators of terrorism. India and Russia called out to Pakistan to shut down the jihad factories operating out of Pakistan.

``They need to irreversibly shut down terrorist networks, organizations and infrastructure and show tangible movement in investigating and bringing quickly to justice all those responsible for acts of terrorism,’’ reads the joint statement issued after the longer than expected meeting between prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Top ranking diplomats Headlines Today spoke to confirmed this is so far the strongest and the most direct statement on the need to stop state sponsored terror and check international terror financing.

In a direct reference to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks the joint statement reads: ``both countries agreed that there cannot be ideological, religious, political, racial, ethnic or any other justification to acts of terrorism. Incidents such as Mumbai Terror attacks or Beslan terrorist attack which resulted in the death of numerous innocent civilians cannot be justified on any grounds.’’

Though the joint statement does not name Pakistan, foreign secretary Sujatha Singh told journalists in Moscow that terror emanating from Pakistan and its spill over (into India and Afghanistan) was discussed. ``Terror has to be condemned in all its forms and there should be no tolerance for sheltering, arming, training or financing of terrorists,’’ she said. There is convergence of views between India and Russia on need to shut down terror factories that operate out of Pakistan and Islamabad’s reluctance to act against elements like Hafiz Mohammed Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. Terrorists operating out of Muridke and Swat region pose not only a direct threat to India but also to Afghanistan and other regional players.

Putin and Singh discussed the emerging situation in Afghanistan post the US draw down in 2014. Russia, however, sees a role for Pakistan in trying to contain the negative fallout in the region. India is trying to forge a wider alliance of regional powers to ensure terror factories are not only shut down but Pakistan takes effective measures to ensure they are not reopened.

``In multi ethnic and democratic societies such as India and the Russian Federation terrorist acts perpetrated under misleading slogans are in reality attacks on freedom and are aimed at undermining the territorial integrity of our nations,’’ says the statement. In a direct reference to Pakistan, the statement says ``such acts may have international linkages extending across and beyond the borders. States that provide aid, abet and shelter such terrorist activities are themselves as guilty as the actual perpetrators of terrorism,’’ the joint statement adds.