India will spare no efforts to tackle terror: Pranab

June 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday defended his decision to despatch the Central forces to Lalgarh in West Bengal, signifying Centre's commitment to provide security personnel to any state government which requests for them. "If any state government requests for paramilitary or other Central forces to tackle difficult law and order situations by following constitutional norms, the Central government will send them," said Pranab Mukherjee.

April 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Home Minister P. Chidambaram Tuesday announced a 'comprehensive action plan' to tackle terrorism and said the Congress was the only party that could effectively deal with the problem.

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 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - India Tuesday said unless Pakistan completely dismantles the terrorism infrastructure on its territory, incidents like the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore would continue to take place. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters here that Pakistan must 'take courage in both hands' to tackle the terrorism infrastructure and appealed to the international community to act to address terrorism, which he described as the 'biggest menace' in the world today.

February 23rd, 2009 KOLKATA - India Sunday said Islamabad's peace deal with the Taliban militia in the troubled Swat Valley of North West Frontier Province in Pakistan was a 'matter of concern'. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, 'There should be no compromise with terrorist organisations like the Taliban.' 'Islamabad's deal with Taliban is a matter of concern,' he said.

February 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday questioned Pakistan's seriousness in the war against terror, and noted its denials that Maulana Masood Azhar and Dawood Ibrahim, the two men India sought for trial in terrorist activities, were not in the country were 'not new'. 'First, Pakistan said he (Azhar) was under house arrest.

February 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government has 'zero tolerance' policy towards terrorism, whether from jihadi elements or Hindu militants, and would spare no efforts to wipe it out, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Sunday.

February 6th, 2009 KOLKATA - India is yet to receive an official response on the dossier it has given to Pakistan on the Mumbai terror strikes, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Saturday. 'I am yet to receive any official communication from Islamabad so far,' Mukherjee told reporters.

January 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Bolstering counter-terrorism and security cooperation will top the agenda when External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee goes to Dhaka Feb 9 - the first visit by an Indian leader after the Sheikh Hasina government took over. 'There is a very positive agenda for rebuilding the relationship.

January 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India wants Pakistan to dismantle terror infrastructure, take strong action against the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks and find fugitives from Indian law, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said. '[There are] three major things - dismantle the infrastructural facilities, take strong actions against the perpetrators of terror attacks and look for the fugitives of the Indian law who have committed crime here and have taken shelter there,' Mukherjee said in his first interview to the Al Jazeera English, the Arab world's leading news channel that is widely watched the world over.

January 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - The terror strikes in the country last year were neither sporadic nor isolated but designed to hurt the Indian economy, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here Saturday. 'I can't take it (terror strikes) as just sporadic and in isolation.

January 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Britain Tuesday asked Pakistan to take on Laskhar-e-Taiba, the suspected architects of the Mumbai carnage, 'frontally and politically' even as India again reminded Islamabad to bring the perpetrators of the terror attacks to justice and honour its anti-terror pledge. 'It's clear where the responsibility for the attack lies.

December 26th, 2008 KOLKATA - India is not against any particular country but against terrorism, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Saturday, and urged the Pakistani leadership to join hands in combating it together. 'India is not against any particular country or any religion.

December 25th, 2008 NEW DELHI - A month after Mumbai's terror strikes, India Friday sought to intensify global pressure on Pakistan by asking China to use its clout to persuade Islamabad to dismantle terror infrastructure in that country. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi called up External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday and conveyed his country's solidarity with India in the fight against terrorism.

December 25th, 2008 NEW DELHI - Intensifying its diplomatic offensive, India has made it clear to the US and Iran as well as Pakistan's key allies, China and Saudi Arabia, that they need to do more to use their clout to pressurize Pakistan into acting against the perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee spoke to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Thursday night and conveyed New Delhi's growing impatience with Pakistan's denial and diversionary tactics.