Pak aiding anti-India terror, US should use its influence: PM

Stating that Paksitan was using terror as an instrument of state policy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said India wanted the US to use all its influence with Islamabad to shun that path.

''India has been a victim of Pakistan-aided terrorism, and intelligence reports still suggest that terrorists based in that country are planning attacks in India similar to last year's Mumbai attack," Dr Singh said in an interview to Washington Post ahead of his US visit.

The Prime Minister arrives in the US on Sunday on a four-day visit. His is the first state visit after the take over of Mr Obama as President.

The Prime Minister said India was ready to discuss all issues with Pakistan provided it ensured that it will not allow its territory to be used against its neighbour.

Dr Singh said Pakistan should have "nothing to fear" from India, and it was a "tragedy" that Pakistan has come to the point of using terror "as an instrument of state policy." He said Pakistan had not acted enough to bring to book those involved in the Mumbai terror attacks.

The Prime Minister also said that the terrorist's increasing grip over several parts of the neighbour a threat to his country's security as well.

''We are concerned over the rise of terrorism in Pakistan. We have been the victims of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism for a long time.

Now if the Taliban and Al Qaeda type of terror, which in the past was confined to the FATA area [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] of Pakistan, gets transferred to the mainland of Pakistan, I think it has very serious consequences for India's security," he said ''We would not like terrorism to lead to a situation where the civilian government becomes just only a nominal government,'' he added. Dr Singh said that Afghanistan might see a civil war if the United States withdrew its forces. Anwering questions about India's economy, the Prime Minister said his target was to see that India got back its economic growth rate of 9 per cent growth rate and ensure the benefits of development were equitably distributed.

''A growth rate of about 9 per cent per annum and to ensure that this growth is an inclusive growth -- that the benefits of development reach out to all sectors of our population, '' Dr Singh said when asked what was his target in the next few years.

Asked if he felt he had made a difference to his country as prime minister, he said: ''I hope I've made some difference. That's for posterity to judge.''

-- (UNI) -- 20DI46.xml

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