DHAKA - Hailing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s ruling out war in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack, a Dhaka daily has urged Pakistan to ‘go an extra mile’ in meeting its commitment to fight terrorism on its territory.

‘…nothing short of a genuine crackdown on the terrorist organisations will convince the international community that the country (Pakistan) is really serious about combating terrorism,’ The Daily Star said in an editorial Thursday.

‘Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has very judiciously dismissed the talk of war, while reminding Pakistan of its obligation to act against terrorism. We believe Pakistan should feel reassured and go the extra mile in uprooting terrorists using its soil. This is what Pakistan is professedly committed to,’ the editorial said.

‘Though Pakistan has been trying to wriggle out of the mesh, the identity of the lone captured attacker and links established through mobile calls are major pointers that Islamabad cannot brush aside.

‘What has happened is undoubtedly something unprecedented and Pakistan has to accept this fact and then begin repairing the damage wreaked on the inter-state relationship,’ the newspaper observed.

Expressing concern at the growing tension between the two that impacts all of South Asia, the newspaper urged ‘people with statesmanship qualities on either side of the border who must now come forward to wield their sobering influences’.

‘Both India and Pakistan must fight terror jointly,’ the editorial said, adding: ‘Most important of all, we believe, active cooperation between India and Pakistan is sine qua non for containment of terrorism in this region.’

‘Obviously, if defeating the forces opposed to peace is the ultimate goal, war is not the option. It will only help the extremists out to spoil all reconciliatory efforts and gestures, which could enable the two countries to overcome mistrust stemming from the Mumbai carnage,’ the English language daily said.