'Pak to fulfill commitment on cross-border terrorism'

Bangalore, June 5: Pakistan is yet to stop cross-border terrorism as promised by President General Pervez Musharraf during the 2004 talks with the then Indian Prime Minister A B Vajpayee, Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed said today.

In a chat with newspersons here, he said that though cross-border terrorism had reduced, it had not completely stopped and India had always been reminding Pakistan of its commitment to stop it completely. However, ''Pakistan always says it is not in their knowledge that cross-border terrorism is taking place,'' he added.

''We have been insisting Pakistan to implement the assurance given by Gen Musharraf to Mr Vajpayee in a joint statement on June six, 2004, that Pakistan will not allow to use the territory under its control for cross-border terrorism,'' the Minister said.

Declining to comment on Bharatiya Janata Party President Rajnath Singh's statement that India should prevail upon the United Nations to declare Pakistan a terrorist State, Mr Ahamed said ''it is their (BJP) opinion. India has taken its own stand on all these issues.

That is a suggestion by Mr Rajnath Singh, that is all.'' Asked whether there was any improvement in Indo-Pak relations, he said ''very much...Recently, there was a meeting of Home Secretaries of both India and Pakistan as part of the composite dialogue and some very positive decisions have been taken.''

UNI