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MUMBAI: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Saturday said there had to be “justice” for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, even as she noted that India’s contribution towards the fight against extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan would be “very helpful”.
“I believe that there has to be justice. There has to be a full vetting, thorough analysis of what happened, who was behind it – just as it would be with any terrorist attack,” Clinton said in an interview.
Clinton who is on a five-day visit to India, arrived in Mumbai Friday night. After a day -and-a-half of appointments in India’s commercial capital, the highest ranking official of the Barack Obama administration to have visited this country will reach New Delhi Sunday.
Clinton said that there had been an “evolving attitude” in Pakistan in the last six months, with both the government and society understanding the dangers of fighting terror groups. She said the Pakistan Army’s efforts against terror groups in Swat and other parts of the country were “sincere, effective and committed”.
“We are very clear that we think it is imperative that Pakistan go after all the terrorists groups because for no other reason than that any one of them is actually a threat to Pakistan,” she pointed out.
Further, she added that terror groups now were aiding each other. “Therefore, no terrorist group can be left alone or forgotten. Every one of them should be the target of intense law enforcement and justice efforts,” Clinton said.
She said that “bringing the understanding which India has to the table in dealing with the problems in Afghanistan and the extremist threat in Pakistan would be very helpful”.
“Everything that we can do to protect India from terrorism (we will do) and India can help in our fight against extremism in Afghanistan and what Pakistan is now doing will be very welcome and important,” she contended.
Noting that India was not just a regional, but a global player, Clinton said, “India has a tremendous opportunity to work to resolve problems regionally and work with other nations, including the US, on global challenges that we face. How India decides to do that is upto India.”
She dismissed US involvement in bring together India and Pakistan to the table on the Kashmir issue. “The decision has to be between India and Pakistan and of course taking into account the feelings of the people of Kashmir… Our role is not to be involved other than support the process that India and Pakistan may decide to enter into”.
On the India-US civil nuclear deal, Clinton said that she was “committed to (its) full implementation”. But, she said that she wanted to engage with Indian leaders on global non-proliferation efforts.
On a lighter note, she admitted that she was “attracted to India”. Pointing out that both she and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, had made multiple trips to this country, she said: “There is something about the dynamism of the people, the dedication to democracy, the commitment to doing better all the time, (that) is inspiring”.
“And I can’t really express it. The feeling in my heart that makes me very happy to be here. It’s a place that I feel very comfortable with,” Clinton said, adding that she loves Indian food.