Page 66 - DENG101_Communication Skills-I

Unit 6: Practising Listening Skills

long spell of army rule. In Sri Lanka, there is a fight against LTTE and the Sri Lankan armed Notes
forces. We are deeply concerned for the plight of civilian Tamil population which has been
caught in the crossfi re. But in other areas, there has been some democratic changes also.
For instance, in Maldives. Therefore, it happens and our approach is to help our friends
whenever they want it and to the extent possible for us. And to see peace, stability and
development take place in our neighbours.

Karan Thapar: Let’s talk of these countries individually one by one. First, Pakistan. You
have said that Pakistan’s response to India’s terror dossier is a positive development, the
foreign secretary in Colombo said, it was a welcome step. Has this therefore, lessened the
tension and reduced the temperature between the two countries or does the sense of crisis
remain unchanged?
Pranab Mukherjee: We have never raised the temperature. This is the phrase, I think British
Foreign secretary used, and I told him that ‘no, I have not raised the temperature’. We have
not stopped the communication line. But what we want is that the perpetrators of 26/11
have to be brought to justice, infrastructure available to the terrorist should be dismantled.

And Pakistan authorities must fulfill their bilateral and internal commitments. And we are
insisting on that.
Karan Thapar: In the meantime, every time President Zardari speaks in interviews or
makes comments etc, he speaks things that are reassuring. As you judge him, do you see
him as sincere or is this just rhetoric of words?

Pranab Mukherjee: He is a nice man. He is a gentleman, Gilani is a gentleman, Quereshi is
a gentleman. But this is not the question of personalities; the question is that the incumbent
government has responsibility. When we talk of, we talk of the incumbent government.

Karan Thapar: So you see Zardari as a nice man, a gentle man whom you can do business
with. Therefore the onus is on him to prove that he will take the steps?
Pranab Mukherjee: Onus is on the Pakistani authorities to dismantle the infrastructural
facilities available to the terrorists, to bring to justice the perpetrators of terrorism and to
co-operate with India in achieving this objective.

The relationship between India and Pakistan is not the point of issue at this point of time.
Point of issue is how to fight terrorism. It is not the question of improving our bi-lateral

relations. Our bilateral relations are there, people to people contact is there.

Karan Thapar: Do you think Zardari is genuinely committed to fight against terrorism or
do you think he is telling different things to different people, because he is trying to buy
time and that the system in Pakistan won’t respond.
Pranab Mukherjee: I would not like to comment on the system of Pakistan because it is for
them to comment on this issue. But what I would like to say is that I believe in his sincerity
because he himself is the victim of terror attacks. His wife, Benazir Bhutto fell as the victim
of the senseless brutal terror attack.
Karan Thapar: So you mean that you believe in his sincerity?
Pranab Mukherjee: I believe in his desire to fight against terrorism but at the same time my

belief is not adequate and it must be backed by the action taken by the government and the
authorities of Pakistan.
Karan Thapar: Let me come to a different subject. Last week, as perhaps you know the
former Pakistani Prime Minister Khurshid Kasuri gave me an interview where he revealed
that during the time when general Musharraf was President, extensive progress had been
made between India and Pakistan on the back channel, in fact he said that more progress
was made than most people believed. Can you confirm on that?

Contd....

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