''Pak must crack down on terror for resolving outstanding issues''

New Delhi, Oct 18 (UNI) Assuring the armed forces of ''enhanced capabilities'' to help them in their fight against terrorists and insurgents, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today asserted that any Indian government would find it hard to resolve outstanding issues with Pakistan until the latter ''clearly dealt with the issue of terrorism.'' ''We have put Pakistan on notice that any democratic government of India would find it difficult to continue on the present path of addressing all outstanding issues unless the Government of Pakistan clearly deal with the issue of terrorism,'' Dr Singh said in his address at the Combined Commanders' Conference.

The India-Pakistan Anti-Terrorism Institutional Mechanism will be a test of Pakistani intentions and capabilities to implement the assurances that they have given us since January 2004, he stressed.

Terming international terrorism as the ''principal challenge'' today to plural and democratic societies, the Prime Minister noted that it not only destroyed human life and property but also ''endangers democratic values, social harmony and economic well-being.'' Noting the ''increasing sophistication'' of terrorist activities presently, Dr Singh said that as the country's armed forces have to also deal with insurgents in difficult terrain, there was ''a necessity for us to upgrade our capabilities, which have traditionally been geared towards conventional threats, as well as our surveillance and interdiction systems.'' He told the assembled top brass of the three services that India, had ''internationally, taken a firm stand that the fight against terrorism has to be long-term, sustained and comprehensive.'' ''It cannot be ad-hoc, selective or compartmentalised in terms of region, religion or organizations. Terrorist networks sustain themselves due to acts of commission or omission by states. Our strategy cannot be restricted only to the perpetrators of terrorist acts but should also seek to modify the behaviour of the states where terrorists find safe haven, sanctuary and material sustenance,'' he noted.

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