New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has told CNN-IBN that diplomatic dialogue is the only way to prevent terrorism from emanating from the Pakistani soil. Speaking to Karan Thapar on the show Devil's Advocate, Rao said that revelations made by the whistle-blower site WikiLeaks have not diminished justification for dialogue with Pakistan.
Here is an excerpt of that interview
Karan Thapar: Now that we have proof from WikiLeaks, from Headley, that the Pakistani state is directly and irrefutably involved in instigating and funding terror against India, what's the justification for continuing dialogue with that country?
Nirupama Rao: Well, I think the justification for dialogue is by no means diminished even despite these revelations. I believe that dialogue is the most effective means to tackle outstanding issues with Pakistan and the abandonment of dialogue; the interruption of the dialogue, by no means serves the interest that we seek to pursue in getting Pakistan to stop its pursuit of terrorism against India. In other words, dialogue is the most intelligent means of addressing points of contention.
Karan Thapar: But if any dialogue to be meaningful, surely, you will have to agree that it has to be predicated on the fact that Pakistan accepts what it has been doing and, more importantly, promises not to do it again. That's missing in this case.
Nirupama Rao: Well, Pakistan has, from time to time, made this commitment to us that it will not permit the pursuit the encouragement of terrorism...
You can watch the full show at 2.00 pm and 8.30 pm on CNN-IBN on Sunday, August 8.
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