Indian PM extends olive branch to Pakistan ahead of Mumbai attacks anniversary

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday for the second day in a row reached out to Pakistan, offering its hand for friendship and reiterating its willingness to restart the composite dialogue, provided Islamabad contain terrorism.

Singh Thursday said in India-controlled Kashmir that New Delhi is not setting any pre-conditions for talks with Pakistan, but there can be no real progress, unless Islamabad brought terrorism under control.

The prime minister also made it clear that he was not satisfied with the action taken so far by Pakistan against those responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks last November, which claimed the lives of over 170 people.

"We are not satisfied. That goes without saying. We hope Pakistan will take effective measures to bring to justice all the perpetrators of Nov. 26," Singh told the media in the northern Indian state capital Srinagar at the end of a two-day visit to the region.

On Wednesday, the Indian Prime Minister offered olive branch to Pakistan but asserted that Islamabad should curb the activities of the elements engaged in terrorism against India.

"If they are non-state actors, it is the solemn duty of the government of Pakistan to bring them to book, to destroy their camps and to eliminate their infrastructure. The perpetrators of the acts of terror must pay the heaviest penalty for their barbaric crimes against humanity," he said.

Political analysts say the Prime Minister's recent overtures to Pakistan assume significance because India is just weeks away from the first anniversary of the Mumbai attacks.

"India has publicly expressed its frustration with what Pakistan's lack of cooperation in investigating those attacks, masterminded by Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been roaming free in that country. So, an offer of is hand of friendship only strengthens New Delhi's position," political scientist Professor Ajay Singh said.

In fact, the Prime Minister Wednesday also said that India was willing to talk to anyone, including militants provided they abjured violence, in a bid to promote peace in Kashmir.

Summed up expert Professor S.K. Gupta: "India's olive branch clearly showed the readiness of New Delhi to look for solutions and a desire to talk to Pakistan to solve the Kashmir dispute. Solving the dispute will resolve a major part of the problem of cross-border terrorism.

"Moreover, Pakistan is itself a victim of terrorism. The offer of friendship at this juncture may be well taken by Islamabad, although it's too early to reach any conclusion given the past record," he added.