India wants ‘actual action’ from Pakistan: Shivshankar Menon

July 7th, 2009 ROME - Ahead of a meeting between their foreign secretaries, India Tuesday said it will judge Pakistan by the action it takes against perpetrators of last year's Mumbai terrorist attack. Official sources said Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism will be seen in the light of what action it takes against terrorists targeting India.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan will meet on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Egypt this month, with the issue of terrorism expected to dominate the discussions. Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told the media here that the core issue between the two sides would be "terrorism".

June 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik met Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and urged India to provide English translation of the Mumbai terror strike evidence Wednesday, a day after the release of Hafiz Saeed, founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group that is accused of masterminding the Nov 26 carnage. "India conveyed its disappointment at the release of Saeed," Menon told reporters after the meeting.

April 1st, 2009 LONDON - India Wednesday called for the world's most powerful countries to work together in order to dismantle the nuclear smuggling network run by A.Q. Khan, the so-called father of the Pakistani bomb.

March 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India Monday expressed shock at the terror attack in Lahore in which at least 22 police trainees were killed. 'The government of India is deeply saddened and shocked by the events in Lahore,' Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told reporters here.

March 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Underlining its opposition to any external role, India Monday said that it will not resume the stalled dialogue process with Pakistan unless there is 'credible action' by Islamabad against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks and the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil. 'There is no point in setting down time-frame or concrete markers.

March 30th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Ruling out any mediation by a third party, India Monday made it clear that it will not resume the stalled composite dialogue with Pakistan unless there is 'credible action' by Islamabad against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks and the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil. India also condemned the terrorist attack in Lahore and described terrorism as 'a menace' to the region.

March 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - United States Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke is expected to visit India on April 7 to discuss how India could cooperate in US efforts to end terror threat in those two neighbouring countries. During his visit, Holbrooke will meet Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and National Security Advisor M.

March 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian intelligence agencies have intercepted 'electronic chatter' that indicates increased threat to India from Pakistan-based terrorist groups in the run-up to and during the April-May elections, said government sources. 'There is an increased threat from Pakistan-based terror groups in the run up and during the elections,' said highly-placed government sources.

March 18th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Four days after India responded to Pakistan's 30 questions in connection with the Mumbai attacks, New Delhi Tuesday asked Islamabad to act fast in bringing the perpetrators of the carnage to justice and underlined that it will do everything it can to encourage this process. 'Certainly, we would hope that those things (bringing perpetrators to justice and dismantling terror infrastructure) would happen and happen as soon as possible and we will do everything we can to encourage that process,' Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told reporters here.

March 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A day after India hand over replies to Pakistan's 30 questions on the Mumbai terror attacks, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said India now expect Islamabad to follow up its commitment with tangible action. "Words and commitments should be followed by tangible action," said Pranab during a press meet.

March 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - India is confident its relationship with the US would move forward rapidly to the next level under President Barack Obama, taking off from where his predecessor George W. Bush left. 'I leave confident that we will be able to move forward with the new US administration,' Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said at a press conference here Wednesday after the first high-level dialogue with the new administration.

February 27th, 2009 COLOMBO - Holding a secretary-level meeting with Pakistan for the first time after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, India Thursday urged its neighbour to do more to bring the perpetrators to book and 'take credible action to dismantle the resources of terrorists'. Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir on the sidelines of the 36th session of the SAARC Standing Committee in Colombo.

February 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - With Islamabad dithering in its response to the 26/11 terror dossier, India has again asked Pakistan to directly convey its response on the Mumbai carnage instead of airing its views through the media or other fora. 'The fact is that we have Pakistan saying various things at various times, various forms and to various audiences,' Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told journalists on his return from Dhaka late Monday.

January 10th, 2009 LALGOLA - India has not yet received any official communication from Pakistan on a dossier over the Mumbai terrorist attack, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Sunday. 'We've not yet received any official communication from Pakistan till Saturday.