New Delhi
9 August 2006
United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian
Affairs Richard Boucher kept a busy schedule in New Delhi but found time to hardsell
Pakistan to the Muslim intelligentsia of India. It is the considered opinion of Washington
that based on the information available with it the Government of Pakistan is not
involved at all in supporting terrorist acts in India, he told a select gathering of Muslim
representatives.
Boucher told his audience that there may however be some terrorist groups in Pakistan
and they may have had a hand in certain acts of terrorism in India. The US Department of
State official's remarks came in response to questions posed by his guests about
Pakistan's hand in terrorist acts like the July 11 Mumbai serial blasts. Boucher's visit to
India has since concluded (August 4 to 8) and he is now touring the Central Asian states
of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The categorical response was made to a gathering that included, among others, Jamia
Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Prof Mushirul Hasan, Raashid Alvi (Congress), Arif
Mohammad Khan (BJP) and Wajahat Habibullah. They had been invited to a cup of tea
on August 5. When contacted, Mr Alvi told this correspondent that the US official's
remarks are "significant" because they come "despite India claiming evidence of
Pakistan's role in cross-border terrorism".
According to Mr Alvi, the US official showed an interest in understanding the Indian
Muslims' opinion about the US. "During the 30-odd minute meeting, he tried to know
about the Indian Muslims and minority issues," he recounted on Wednesday evening.
Prof Mushirul Hasan, in turn, observed that Boucher discussed about the "attempts to
destabilise Lebanon" besides dwelling on issues like the invasion of Iraq, presence of
American troops in Iraq and the Palestine issue.
A few weeks ago, Boucher told reporters in Washington that there was no clinching
evidence to pinpoint the perpetrators of the wave of deadly attacks in Mumbai. "The
evidence ... as far as who they were, who was responsible -- I don't think we've seen a
lot yet .... I think we need to be led by the evidence before we start trying to draw
conclusions and make policy pronouncements on it," he had said. On Monday Boucher
said "things have advanced" since he made those remarks.
Interestingly, Boucher had a similar interaction with Muslim intellectuals and religious
scholars in Bangladesh. He spent two days in Dhaka before travelling to Kolkata and
New Delhi later. In Bangladesh, he met Imams at the Imam Training Academy and
sought their opinion on global issues like terrorism and militancy.
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