PM uses UNGA to target Pak

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday asked Pakistan to shut down “terrorist machinery” on its soil while making it clear that there can “never, ever” be a compromise on the territorial integrity of India of which Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part. In his address to the UN General Assembly, he virtually rejected Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s demand of Friday for resolution of the Kashmir issue on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions. “India is committed sincerely in resolving all issues with Pakistan, including the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, through bilateral dialogue on the basis of Simla Agreement,” Dr Singh said. Meanwhile, five years after India and the US signed a landmark civil nuclear deal, the two countries clinched the first commercial agreement on civilian nuclear power cooperation that was stalled over India’s nuclear liability law. US President Barack Obama announced the agreement after his meeting with Dr Singh at the Oval Office. “We’ve made enormous progress on the issue of civilian nuclear power, and, in fact, have been able to achieve just in the last few days an agreement on the first commercial agreement between a US company and India on civilian nuclear power,” Mr Obama said. At the UN in New York, Dr Singh said terrorism remained a grave threat to security and stability everywhere and extracts a heavy toll of innocent lives around the world. “From Africa to Asia, we have seen several manifestations of this menace in the last few days alone,” he said. “State-sponsored cross-border terrorism is of particular concern to India, also on account of the fact that the epicentre of terrorism in our region is located in our neighbourhood in Pakistan.” Earlier, in a joint statement issued in Washington, the two leaders noted that with government-to-government procedures agreed, commercial negotiations between India’s nuclear operator Nuclear Power Corporation of India and US firm Westinghouse are proceeding. A fact sheet issued by the White House said this agreement should facilitate progress toward licensing the AP-1000 nuclear reactor technology in India. While expressing readiness to solve issues, including J&K, through bilateral dialogue, the Prime Minister said, “However, for progress to be made, it is imperative that the territory of Pakistan and the areas under its control are not utilised for aiding and abetting terrorism directed against India. It is equally important that the terrorist machinery that draws its sustenance from Pakistan be shut down. There must be a clear understanding of the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and that there can never, ever, be a compromise with the unity and territorial integrity of India.” Dr Singh, who arrived here from Washington, will hold his first one-on-one meeting with Mr Sharif since the latter assumed office in June. The India-Pakistan dialogue process was put on hold after an Indian soldier was beheaded on the Line of Control (LoC) in January. Ties hit a new low when five more soldiers were killed by Pakistani troops along the LoC last month. The terror attacks near Jammu virtually threatened to derail the New York meeting, with the main Opposition BJP demanding that Dr Singh call off his meeting with Mr Sharif. But Dr Singh decided to go ahead with the meeting, saying such attacks will not succeed in derailing the dialogue process. Expectations from the high-profile meeting will be toned down, as the Prime Minister himself put it in the media briefing after his talks with President Barack Obama, “given the terror arm which is still active in our subcontinent”. The PM also underlined the need to renew the commitment, especially at the UN, for concerted, cohesive and continuing global action against terrorism. “There can be no tolerance for states sheltering, arming, training or financing terrorists. Nor can they absolve themselves of the responsibility to prevent their territories from being used to launch acts of terrorism,” Dr Singh said. He noted that the increasingly complex challenges to international peace and security require a new international consensus to be built, whether it is in cyber security, non-proliferation or terrorism. “We must also guard against terrorists and non-state actors gaining access to sensitive materials and technologies,” Dr Singh added.