No reason to distrust Pakistan: Indian minister

Rajnath Singh says India should wait for Pakistani action; new Indian high commissioner to Pakistan Gautam Bambawale arrives in Islamabad; says he has come with message of friendship and intentions of improving bilateral relations

NEW DELHI:  Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said there was no reason to distrust Pakistan’s assurance of an “effective action” against those linked to the terror attack on the IAF base in Pathankot in the Punjab.

“There is no reason to distrust them so early. We should all wait (for Pakistani action),” the minister told media persons here, IANS reported. 

Rajnath Singh said the Pakistan government had assured of swift action on the inputs given by India about the perpetrators of the attack on the Indian Air Force base in the early hours of January 2.

India had claimed that terrorists from Pakistan were responsible for the attack that left seven security personnel dead. All six terrorists were killed in the counter-offensive.

Earlier, an alliance of Kashmiri militant groups had claimed the attack on the Indian Air Force’s Pathankot airbase.

The United Jihad Council (UJC) had stated in a statement that the attack was a message to India that Kashmiri fighters could strike at any sensitive installation across India.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had also assured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Islamabad would not hesitate to take “prompt and decisive action” if the involvement of Pakistan-based elements in the attack on an Indian airbase was proved beyond doubt.

Sabah adds: Gautam Bambawale, who has been appointed Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, arrived in Lahore through the Wagah border on Tuesday.   Upon his arrival, Bambawale said he will work towards an improvement in Pak-India relations. 

“I will play the role of a bridge between the two countries and will make all efforts to improve the relations between the two neighbours.”

Bambawale, who last served as Indian ambassador to Bhutan, reached Islamabad after his arrival in Lahore.

The diplomat said he was coming to Pakistan with the message of friendship and intentions of improving bilateral relations.

“We want to strengthen the relationship between India and Pakistan and that will be my effort while I am posted here,” he said while talking to the media.

Bambawale is taking over as High Commissioner to Pakistan from TCA Raghavan who retired in December.

Asked about the fate of the foreign secretary-level talks scheduled for Jan 15, he said: “The instruction given to me was to reach Pakistan at the earliest. So I am going to cross over and reach there.

The two governments are in touch with each other, we will have to wait and see what would be the next step.” 

Earlier, before his departure from New Delhi, Gautam Bambawale said he would make all efforts to strengthen relations between the two Asian neighbours.

“My work is that of an ambassador of India to Pakistan. We want to strengthen our relationship between India andPakistan and that will be my effort while I am posted there,” Bambawale said.

Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad, JP Singh, received the new Indian envoy at the Wagah border crossing. The new Indian envoy to Pakistan was previously posted as the Indian ambassador to Bhutan.

Bambawale is reported to be an expert on China. He has worked in Germany, the US and China. He became the first consul general of India in Guangzhou, China, in 2007. He also remained the Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Indian Foreign Ministry responsible for relations with China, Japan and South Korea and other countries of the region.