Pak not done enough on 26/11: PM

New Delhi, Nov 23 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he is not sure he has a partner in Pakistan, with whom he can negotiate issues.

The PM made this statement on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS.

'I think the most important force in Pakistan is the army,' Singh said. 'When General Musharraf was there, he told me, 'Well, I am the army. I represent the armed forces. I represent the people.' Now I don't know who to deal with,' Singh added.


The Indian PM is now on a tour of the United States.

When asked whether Pakistan has done enough to bring to justice and to give India intelligence about the 26/11 attackers, Singh said, 'I have discussed this matter with Prime Minister Gilani... He assured us that Pakistan will do all that is possible to bring to justice the perpetrators of Mumbai massacre.'

'But it's our feeling that Pakistan has not done enough. Hafeez Sayeed is roaming around free and so is Maulana Azhar Masood.'

Speaking on the interaction between Indian and American societies, Dr. Singh said, 'Our relations at the people-to-people level are of great significance. The fact that there is a large community of Indian origin people in the United States, the way they have flourished, the way they have contributed to the growth of the American economy, I think, that has changed the image of India.'

'And I often say to our guests from abroad that these days, there is hardly a middle class family in India who doesn't have a son, a son-in-law, a brother or a sister, or a sister-in-law in the United States. I think that's a great incentive for our two countries to look to further development of our relationships,' he added.

Speaking on the restrictions imposed by the US in transfering nuclear technology to India, Singh said, 'We are a nuclear weapons state, but we are responsible nuclear power. We have an impeccable record of not having contributed to unauthorized proliferation of these weapons of mass destruction. So, I think India does require, greater consideration of the global community.'

The PM said that India needs to industrialize. India needs to operate on the frontiers of modern science and technology. 'Restrictions on dual-use technologies affect our growth,' he said.

'We need an annual growth rate of 8 to 9 per cent to get rid of chronic poverty, ignorance and disease, which still afflict millions in our country. And in that context, industrialization and transfer of dual-use technologies can play a very important role,' he added.

Dr. Singh said that the rise of China has contributed handsomely to sustaining the growth momentum in the world economy. ' India and China are not in competition. We believe that there is enough economic space for both our countries to realize the growth ambitions of our respective countries. And that's the attitude which guides us in dealing with China,' he said.

According to the Indian PM, development in India cannot be a carbon copy of what happens in China.

'We are a functioning democracy. And even if you want to acquire land, I think you run into serious problems. And democracy is slow-moving. I always believed that it may be slow-moving in the short term, but in the long run, an arrangement which has the backing of the people at large will prove to be more durable,' he said.

--IBNS