Qureshi ‘deflects’ Obama, Singh’s ‘Pak epicenter of terror’ accusations

ISLAMABAD - Rebuffing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent remarks regarding regional stability, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that terror groups were active in India as well as Pakistan, and that one cannot be specific towards any country in this regard.

Qureshi told a TV channel that terror networks should not be linked to a specific country, as it is a global phenomenon, The Nation reported.

“We cannot be selective and specific towards a country… No one country on its own can deal with it,” he said.

Labelling statements made by US President Barack Obama against terror during his India tour as “mature and balanced”, the foreign minister said that everybody needed to join hands to deal with terrorism.

“Many countries in the region have been affected by it… we have been affected by it… Terrorist machines and terrorist networks exist all over the world. They have tentacles spread all over the world.

There are organisations which are trying to undermine many societies, many cultures in many countries,” he said.

Qureshi said that Pakistan condemned terrorism, and that it does not and “will not allow Pakistani soil to be used against anyone and that includes India. We have taken considerable steps in the last two years to deal with this situation.”

Responding to Manmohan’s remarks made during a joint press conference that India was “committed to engage with Pakistan,” Qureshi said, “I think he means well. But you have to look at the larger picture… until then we will not be able to make progress.”

“Pakistan is willing to engage with India. Pakistan has constructive approach and we feel collectively we can dismantle these terror machines,” the minister maintained.

“Pakistan is not only committed to dismantling terror networks… it has shown the determination to do so,” he added, stressing that Pakistani citizens had lost lives in defeating and fighting terrorism. (ANI)