Taliban influence over Pak a threat to region: Chidambaram

India insisted on peaceful environment as essential to bring prosperity in the region but ruled out immediate friendship and revival of the suspended composite dialogue with Pakistan. Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday termed the growing Taliban influence over Pak as a threat to the entire region.

“We want to be friends with Pakistan but the friendship has mutual arrangement.

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The government in Pakistan cannot allow its territory to be used for terrorist attacks on India,” said Home Minister, P Chidambaram, while talking to reporters in the ancestral village of martyr Bhagat Singh in Punjab on Monday.

“Pakistan is the epicentre of terrorism. That must stop,” he said referring to the Mumbai terror attacks planned and launched from the soil of Pakistan and the government’s recent endorsement to the imposition of the Islamic system of justice in the Swat Valley in exchange for a ceasefire in the trouble-torn region.

“Taliban is an issue that concerns Pakistan. Pakistan’s compromise with the Taliban will affect the security of the entire region. I think Pakistan must realize that,” he asserted, noting Pakistan’s bid to compromise with the Taliban could be vulnerable for the whole Indian subcontinent.

Chidambaram said that Pakistan, after admitting the terrorists used its soil launching terror attack, has promised to take more action against the perpetrators of Mumbai strikes. We will watch and see if they take more action to take this case to its logical conclusions.

“We expect them to punish all those who were responsible for the Mumbai carnage. Pakistan must dismantle the terrorist infrastructure that has been built there in the last 10-15 years,” the Home Minister said, adding that we will file a chargesheet in the Mumbai court in the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said that India is ready to cooperate with Pakistan, but the request for the purpose should come through proper official channels.

“India will cooperate as and when necessary but ruled out a joint investigation in the Mumbai attack case, Mukherjee said, and added, “Whatever information we get from Pakistan, we respond to it. But information must be made available through official channels and not through media.”