Terming Osama bin Laden killing as a “decisive blow” to al Qaeda, India voiced serious concern over terrorists finding sanctuary deep inside Pakistan and pressed Islamabad to arrest perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior ministers P Chidambaram and S M Krishna came out with separate statements hours after US President Barack Obama announced the end of Al Qaida leader in a US operation in Abbotabad.
The Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh described Osama’s killing as a “significant step forward” and hope that it will deal a decisive blow to al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.
He said the “international community and Pakistan in particular must work comprehensively to end the activities of all such groups who threaten civilised behaviour and kill innocent men, women and children”.
The killing of the global terrorist “deep inside Pakistan” underlines India’s apprehension that terrorists belonging to different organisations find sanctuary in that country, said Chidambaram.
“We take note with grave concern that part of the statement in which President Obama said that the fire fight in which Osama Bin Laden was killed took place in Abbotabad deep inside Pakistan”.
“We once again call upon the Government of Pakistan to arrest the persons whose names have been handed over to the Interior Minister of Pakistan as well as provide voice samples of certain persons who are suspected to be among the controllers and handlers of the terrorists,” he said.
Terming Osama’s killing as a “victorious milestone” in the global war against terrorism, Krishna said the world “must not let down” its united effort to eliminate the safe havens that have been provided to terrorists in its neighbourhood.
“This operation brings to closure an almost decade-long search for the head of the al Qaeda,” he said.