New Delhi, May 8: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that Pakistan should do more to ensure its territory is not used as a 'launching pad' by terror groups for attacks.
 She stressed for more concerted and stronger steps from governments in combating terrorism across the globe.
 Speaking at a joint news conference after her talks with External Affairs Minister, S M Krishna here on Tuesday, she said, “The unfortunate thing is that the attacks have taken the lives of 30,000 Pakistanis."
 The two Foreign ministers reiterated that Pakistan should bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks and pledged to continue to work together in combating the menace. During their talks, the two sides discussed issues relating to Mumbai attacks, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Iranian nuclear crisis.
 Krishna said the recent terrorist attacks in the Afghan capital highlighted the need for elimination of ‘terrorist sanctuaries’ in the neighbourhood and for Pakistan to take steps against terrorism, including bringing to justice the perpetrators of 26/11 attacks.
 Replying to a question on Hafiz Saeed, the US diplomat said her country has reason to believe that the Jama’at-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief was one of the "principal architects" of the Mumbai attacks that took the lives of 166 people. The US last month offered a $10 million reward for information leading to the conviction of Saeed. Clinton hoped that the bounty would eventually lead to arrest or conviction of the JuD chief.
 "We have issued this reward. We had earlier been successful. This is not unique. This is not a special case," she said.
 On Iran, Clinton said the US looked to India as a partner in the wide international effort to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and also to see progress by India in reducing Iranian oil imports. "The best way to achieve this diplomatic tool, that we all seek, is for the international community to stay united and to keep the pressure that has brought Iran back to the negotiating table," she said.
 Maintaining that the Iran issue should be de-linked from the issue of energy trade, Krishna said India has "vital stakes" in the Gulf region as six crore Indians work and stay in the region. "There are ties of culture and religion. We have a strong intent for the peaceful and negotiated settlement of issues. Our stand on this has been clear and consistent," he said.
 "Iran is an important source of oil for us. It reflects the decision that is made on commercial, financial and technical consideration," he said.
 Krishna said the vision for Afghanistan was also discussed at the meeting. India stressed the need for sustained international commitment to build Afghan capacity for governance, security and economic development, and to support Afghanistan with assistance, investment and regional linkages, he said.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 8 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 8 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 9 May 2012 00:00:00 IST