New Delhi:
At a meeting with the Home Minister on Friday, the US Ambassador to India agreed that Pakistan must "go after" Hafiz Saeed. Ambassador Tim Roemer also told Home Minister P Chidambaram that Pakistan must dismantle its terror infrastructure.
The meeting comes less than a week after Chidambaram's visit to the US when he met the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, armed with evidence of Saeed's role in 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
The powerful statement by the Ambassador comes after he used strong language about the need to punish those responsible for 26/11. Tim Roemer has said, "There are five, probably six, suspects currently being held in Islamabad for 26/11 attacks. It is extremely important that these blood-thirsty perpetrators be brought to justice and put behind bars, and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world."
The meeting between the Ambassador and the Home Minister is seen as part of the new international pressure on Pakistan to arrest Hafeez Saeed, the man who allegedly masterminded the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai last year.
After meeting the Home Minister, Roemer went to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
On Thursday night, the Pakistani government filed two cases against Saeed, but neither accuses him of any involvement in 26/11. Saeed has been charged with delivering anti-state sermon, and making public appeals for donations to a charity to fund terrorism.
Pakistan's limited action against Saeed could help set the ground for a meeting of the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers, scheduled for later this month. to meet later this month in New York. Both ministers will be attending the UN General Assembly session.