India is stepping up efforts to get the US to hold the sale of F-16 fighter planes to Pakistan until the Musharraf government curbs terror.
NEW DELHI: India is stepping up efforts to get the United States to hold the sale of F-16 fighter planes to Pakistan until the Musharraf government delivers on its promise to curb terror.
Interlocutors have conveyed India’s strong feelings on the issue to the Bush Administration. The back channels have been active since the serial blasts in Mumbai. A senior government source said credible evidence of a Pakistani link to the blasts will strengthen India’s case. Security agencies are in the process of piecing the evidence together.
“The strongest message the US can give Pakistan (on the terror issue) is to put the F-16 deal on hold,’’ said former Indian ambassador to Islamabad, G Parthasarthy.
The US had recently announced a multi-million dollar deal in which Pakistan would get 100 F-16s through outright purchases and upgradation of existing planes.
India will also seek a condemnation of Pakistan from the G-8 countries whose leaders begin a Summit meeting in St Petersburg from Saturday. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will join them in the Russian city on Sunday as part of the G-8 plus 5 Summit meeting.
The PM’s team is carrying with it a dossier containing proof of the involvement of Pakistan-based groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in recent terrorist strikes including the ones in Delhi, Ayodhya and Varanasi.
Indian officials are likely to share the information with their counterparts from the G-8 countries as part of the effort to mount international diplomatic pressure on Pakistan. While the US, the UK and other nations were quick to condemn the blasts, they have shied away from naming Pakistan.
The government is hoping that the G-8 outreach summit will give India an opportunity to press for the international community to turn up the heat on Pakistan. The PM will have one-on-one meetings with all the G-8 leaders including President Bush.
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