Two important ministers of the Indian government have taken opposite positions when it comes to having unconditional ties with Pakistan. While Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna supports unconditional relations with Pakistan, National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon is urging the government to attach strings to its relations with Pakistan. According to Times of India, a meeting was held in New Delhi which was attended by several foreign ambassadors and Indian government officials.
While addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and several important personalities said that Pakistan could not be prevented from terrorism. However, Krishna said that restoring relations with Pakistan was the beauty of democracy.
Talking about his recent visit to Pakistan, the foreign minister said that Pakistan wants to establish a peaceful relationship with India, adding that Pakistan’s civilian government and its military establishment were unanimous over having peaceful ties with India. In response to a question, Krishna said that the positive trend in Pakistan-India relation was due to the “kindness of Pakistan Army”. However, while addressing the ambassadors, Indian Interior Minister Sosheil Kumar Shande alleged that Pakistan was sponsoring terrorism in India in various ways.
