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BJP for recalling of envoy in Islamabad |
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In view of the prevailing tensions between India and Pakistan following the Nov. 26 terror strikes in Mumbai, the BJP has suggested to the Government that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad be scaled down and the Indian High Commissioner recalled.
“An advisory cautioning Indians against travelling to Pakistan was not good enough”, said BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad. All travel by Indians to Pakistan must come to a stop except in an emergency situation. He said that in all probability the 10 terrorists who made their way to Mumbai by the sea were trained commandos who were given training at PNS Iqbal, where Pakistani naval commandos are trained.
He said the highly trained and well equipped terrorists would have been facilitated by “state actors” in Pakistan. Therefore, the government of India must stop using the phrase “non-state actors” to refer to the masterminds responsible for the planning and execution of the Mumbai attack.
Declare ISI a terrorist outfit
Prasad further said: “It is becoming increasingly clear elements in Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence played an important role in the planning and facilitation of last month’s Mumbai attacks.” He demanded that India press for a declaration of the ISI as a terrorist organisation.
Prasad pointed out that media reports in Pakistan had said some important ISI officers were present at the birthday celebrations of Dawood Ibrahim in Islamabad although Pakistan often denied that the man wanted in India for the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts of 1993 was living in the country.
Cross-border trade : Pakistan goods received
Despite the tension between India and Pakistan following Islamabad’s failure to take action against perpetrators of the Mumbai terror strikes living on its territory, Pakistan traders on Thursday, Dec. 25, moved a truck load of goods for their counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir through the Poonch-Rawalkot road. This was the first consignment of goods received from Pakistan through Chakkan-da-Bagh point.
“Trader Mohammad Akber of Hajir in Pakistan has sent a truckload of 150 boxes of oranges and 100 boxes of pomegranates besides 252 pairs of special Peshawari sandals to a business firm in Poonch,” district officials in Jammu said.
They said that for the first time since October 21, when cross-border trade started through Poonch-Rawalkote road, traders across the borders exchanged consignments.
The truck with the consignment crossed Chakkan-da-Bagh LoC point and arrived at Rangar International Trade Centre at Poonch, they said, adding it would be later handed over to the party in Poonch after checking.
The Indian firm had sent a consignment of 2,200 kg of tomatoes on December 23 as demanded by the Pakistan trader, officials said.
With Assembly elections over, major parties focus on LS poll
While the Assembly elections are over, with declaration of results of the Jammu and Kashmir polls, major parties are busy cobbling up allies for the battle ahead for the Lok Sabha. All major parties, the Congress, the BJP, and the Left Parties are, however, facing difficulties in shoring up the combines they head.
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