India, Pak clash over terror at NAM meet
14 Apr 2009, 0349 hrs IST, TNN
NEW DELHI: Pakistan's desire to portray itself as a victim of terrorism like India saw diplomats of both countries clashing at a recent meeting
of NAM officials — in the run-up to a ministerial meeting in Havana scheduled for April 27.
While the draft ministerial document put out a condemnation of the Mumbai attacks in November, Pakistan was keen to put in the Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in the same mention. India was unwilling for that because it could lead to Pakistan then claiming that India and Pakistan were both similar victims of terrorism.
A compromise was tried whereby both Indian and Pakistani references would be kept in the document but separately. Pakistan refused to allow that and as a result of the impasse, there is currently no reference to these terror attacks. Indian officials said this would now be "sorted out" in Havana. The NAM presidency will pass from Cuba to Egypt this year and the summit is scheduled there in October.
India believes that while Pakistan is a victim of terrorism that it has created and nurtured, India is a victim of terrorism that Pakistan exports as an instrument of its state policy. That's a fundamental difference, say Indian officials, though Pakistan is eager to draw that connection.
India is anyway keen to walk back from its stand made in Havana three years ago, where India went the extra mile to declare that Pakistan too was a victim of terrorism. Both countries set up the ill-fated joint anti-terror mechanism, which proved to be a great platform for Pakistan to accuse India of nameless terror crimes, while refusing to act on any information or evidence that India put forward.
Behind the Indian refusal is also a larger message, that India will not return to talks with Pakistan until it takes verifiable steps against anti-India terror. Pakistan refuses that "condition".
NEW DELHI: Pakistan's desire to portray itself as a victim of terrorism like India saw diplomats of both countries clashing at a recent meeting
of NAM officials — in the run-up to a ministerial meeting in Havana scheduled for April 27.
While the draft ministerial document put out a condemnation of the Mumbai attacks in November, Pakistan was keen to put in the Lahore attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in the same mention. India was unwilling for that because it could lead to Pakistan then claiming that India and Pakistan were both similar victims of terrorism.
A compromise was tried whereby both Indian and Pakistani references would be kept in the document but separately. Pakistan refused to allow that and as a result of the impasse, there is currently no reference to these terror attacks. Indian officials said this would now be "sorted out" in Havana. The NAM presidency will pass from Cuba to Egypt this year and the summit is scheduled there in October.
India believes that while Pakistan is a victim of terrorism that it has created and nurtured, India is a victim of terrorism that Pakistan exports as an instrument of its state policy. That's a fundamental difference, say Indian officials, though Pakistan is eager to draw that connection.
India is anyway keen to walk back from its stand made in Havana three years ago, where India went the extra mile to declare that Pakistan too was a victim of terrorism. Both countries set up the ill-fated joint anti-terror mechanism, which proved to be a great platform for Pakistan to accuse India of nameless terror crimes, while refusing to act on any information or evidence that India put forward.
Behind the Indian refusal is also a larger message, that India will not return to talks with Pakistan until it takes verifiable steps against anti-India terror. Pakistan refuses that "condition".
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