War of words intensifies as India raises Pak terror at UN, calls for action

New Delhi: Even as the Line of Control remains tense, the war of words between India and Pakistan has intensified. India has raised Pakistan's continuing support to terror groups at the United Nations, seeking international action against state sponsors of terror. India named Pakistan terror groups Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa as major security threats to South East Asian countries.

India's representative to the UN Hardeep Puri said, "The international community cannot afford selective approaches in dealing with terrorist groups or in dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism. Resort to the use of terrorism as an instrument of State Policy is short-sighted. Those who have taken recourse to it have invariably themselves suffered immensely from it."

This came even as Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar accused India of warmongering. In her address to the Asia Society in New York, Khar expressed deep disappointment at the statements from India's top political and military leadership. "We see three incidents at the LoC and we see warmongering, which puts the last 60 years actively back to our memories. Warmongering is coming in from the other side of the border which I thought was the thing of yesteryears and what we had put behind us," Khar said.

A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that it 'can't be business as usual' with Pakistan any more, the Pakistan Foreign Minister said the dialogue process should not be interrupted. "I remember when I landed in Delhi, I spoke not like a Pakistani diplomat but an Indian bureaucrat. Peace process was to be uninterrupted and interruptible," Khar said.

Her statements came even as there was another ceasefire violation in Poonch was reported, the fourth since the flag meet on Monday. The Pakistani army claimed that Indian troops killed a Pakistani soldier in Kashmir. There was firing from the Pakistani side allegedly for a brief period with small fire arms and mortal shells.

The ceasefire violation came hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talked tough and warned Pakistan on Tuesday evening. The Prime Minister finally made a statement on the matter, warning Pakistan, that it 'cannot be business as usual' after last week's 'barbaric' beheading of an Indian soldier by the Pakistani Army.

Speaking after the 65th Army Day celebrations, the Prime Minister said that those responsible for killing and mutilating Indian soldiers should be brought to book. "What happened at the Line of Control is unacceptable," said Singh.

When asked about Pakistan being in denial over the ceasefire violation and killing of Indian soldiers, the Prime Minister expressed hope that the neighbour realises it. But there is still no clarity though on whether the dialogue process will be suspended. The Prime Minister, however, said that the options against Pakistan cannot be discussed in the open.

Following the Prime Minister's statement there was a government's stance visibly hardened. Sources told CNN-IBN that it will be difficult to continue talks as Pakistan first has to reassure India and that confidence-building measures may have to be curtailed. It will also be tough to keep sports and cultural ties separate from diplomacy but India doesn't want to indulge in jingoism.

Pakistan also reacted to statements made by the Prime Minister by renewing its offer to have a UN probe into the Poonch firing that killed two Indian soldiers. Pakistan said it does not want to vitiate the already tense situation along the LoC. Pakistan added that it attaches great importance to the ongoing peace process with India.