india AskUN to exert more pressure on Pakistan about 26/11

In yet another strong message to Pakistan over its continued reluctance to act on the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday urged the UN to exert more pressure on Islamabad.
The minister, who discussed the Mumbai terror attacks with the visiting UN Secretary General Ban-ki-Moon in New Delhi said, “Pakistan must ensure that it fulfils its commitment to end terrorism emanating from its soil.”

Pranab also sought the urgent intervention of the United Nations and the international community to pressurise Islamabad, which has been in the denial mode ever since it was proved that Pakistan based terrorists were responsible for the Mumbai carnage.

“I requested the UN Secretary General to look into all aspects and ensure that Pakistan fulfils all its promises to stem in terrorism,” Pranab said while talking to reporters.

The strong statement from the Foreign Minister comes a day after Home Minister P Chidambaram cleared the air on Pakistan’s response to the dossier that India provided it.

Chidambaram confirmed that India had not got any response from Pakistan over Mumbai attacks probe.

The clarification from the Home Minister came in the wake of divergent views held by Pranab Mukherjee and National Security Advisor MK Narayanan on Pakistan’s response.

"There is no confusion. Both External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and I have said that we have not received any response to the dossier given to Pakistan as yet," Union Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters.

Also, for the first time, country’s Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon came out in the open and maintained that ghastly terror attacks Mumbai were the handiwork of Pakistan’s notorious spy agency, the ISI.

Menon stated that the investigations conducted so far have proved that the attacks were planned and launched from Pakistan.

AQ Khan The Tainted Nuke Scientist Freed By Pakistani Court

Disgraced nuclear scientist AQ Khan was declared a free man by the Islamabad High Court on Friday, even as media reports suggested that the present Pakistani establishment had come to an out-of-court settlement on easing restrictions imposed on him.

Responding to a petition filed by Khan seeking the further easing of restrictions on him, the Islamabad High Court reiterated its judgement of some months ago that the scientist was a free citizen subject to some security measures.

His house arrest was also abolished. The court also directed the government to provide VVIP security to Dr Khan on an immediate basis. Dr Khan is free now to express his views, interact with the media.

The High Court said Khan, who was accused of running a nuclear proliferation ring, could freely move around within the country and can also visit the Science Foundation for research.

There is also no bar on close friends and relatives meeting him, it said.

However, TV channels reported that Khan had reached some sort of secret, out-of-court agreement with the government on easing restrictions imposed on the scientist after he admitted to running a nuclear proliferation ring in early 2004.

These things happen: Khan

After the judgement, a visibly relieved Khan said, "These things happen. We should forget and look forward."

Khan told reporters that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had also been "inside".

"The government had made arrangements and nobody could hurt me. Now also, the government will take care," Khan said.

He also ruled out any vengeance against ex-President Musharraf who had placed him under house arrest saying that Musharraf had been punished by God since now he was out of power.

Khan while ruling out allegiance towards any country other than Pakistan, said that he neither intended to go abroad or enter politics and his thrust would be towards improving the education scenario in his nation.

However, after today’s judgement, only his house arrest has been withdrawn but he has not been acquitted of the charges against him. The case will continue to be tried in the court.

The most serious charge against him was pertaining to him being the kingpin of the network that sold nuclear technology to countries like North Korea, Iran and Libya.

However, after these charges were levelled at him he was sacked from his post and put under house arrest. Musharraf had then rejected calls for his interrogation by other countries saying that Pakistan had good interrogators and questioning by outsiders would undermine the country’s capability.