India-Pakistan tensions flare at Afghanistan talks

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Tensions between India and Pakistan over last month's terrorist attacks on Mumbai overshadowed a conference Sunday aimed at fostering cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbors. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Indian Junior Foreign Minister Anand Sharma sat side-by-side at a news conference following the informal, closed-door talks, but they traded barely concealed barbs. Sharma insisted India has acted "with remarkable restraint and maturity" in responding to the attacks, which began Nov. 26, and suggested it was up to Pakistan to act to dismantle terrorist networks operating on its soil. "We all know where these terror outfits are and where the perpetrators are," said Sharma. "The only way forward is to ensure that democracies flourish and the perpetrators of the dastardly attacks are brought to justice quickly." Qureshi said Pakistan is eager to cooperate with its neighbors in the fight against terror and warned against assigning blame.