ISI continues to support terrorists: Home Minister

Maintaining that Pakistan has not dismantled the terror infrastructure existing on its soil, India said on Wednesday that ISI continues to provide 'direction' and 'logistic support' to terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba active in this country.

"We have not received any information on dismantling of terrorist training camps," Home Minister Shivraj V Patil said, replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha.

He said information about existence of terrorist training camps was passed on to Pakistan during the home secretary-level talks between the two countries.

"Results have not been satisfactory," he said.

According to available inputs, ISI continues to provide support including recruitment, arms training and funds to militant outfits like Lashkar-e-Tayiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Al-Badr for terrorism-related activities in Jammu and Kashmir. This, despite the government's peace initiatives and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's invitation to separatist leaders for two round table conferences.

"Available inputs indicate Pakistan's ISI continues to remunerate terrorists for attacks on security forces and political leaders. The serial grenade attacks on April 14 and July 11, 2006 in Srinagar city and killing of tourists are reportedly the result of directives received by the terrorist outfits from across the border," Patil added.

Patil said the list of India's most wanted was also discussed at the home secretary-level talks but no action has been taken.

"We have given documents pointing out to places where training is imparted to terrorists," he said adding Pakistan was in a denial mode.

Emphasising its commitment to the dialogue process, India has conveyed to Pakistan that talks can be sustained if it takes action on dismantling the infrastructure of terrorism, including training camps, launch pads and communication links between terrorist groups on the Indian side and their handlers on the Pakistan side, he said.

Patil ruled out any extreme action against Pakistan in the wake of recent spurt in terrorist activities, saying that as a mature democracy, India would rather try to resolve the tension with the neighbour than escalate it.

He said the government was taking all these matters very strongly with Pakistan and at the same time, trying not to escalate the tension between the two countries.