Pakistan should show a sense of urgency, says Rice

The US said Pakistan should show a "real sense of transparency and urgency" in implementing its commitment to tackle terrorism in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks and that will be its message to the leadership in Islamabad.

"I would refrain from speculating from what Pakistan will do on the specific request (of India for handing over its fugitives based in that country).What has to happen is there has to be a real sense of transparency, real sense of action and real sense of urgency because these are extremists who have the same intention and same goal and that is to terrorise and send a message to states around the world," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told media-persons in New Delhi.

Rice, who will have meetings with her counterpart Pranab Mukherjee and later call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was asked about what the US thought that Pakistan would do on India's request to hand over fugitives based in that country. Rice, who will go to Islamabad from here, said Pakistan needs to act with urgency and resolve.  "This message has been conveyed and will be conveyed (to Pakistan)," she said adding extremists have done "great damage" to Pakistan too. 

Rice said countries like US, Britain and India have "great interest in getting to the bottom of this and bringing people to justice and we have great interest in prevention (of terror attacks). That would be my message. I don't want to go into what Pakistan may or may not do. I am going to take Pakistan's stated commitment to get to bottom of this and make them know that they are enemies of Pakistan as well as India," she said.

Asked whether the US knew about the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks like the Lashkar-e-Tayiba which functions under different names in Pakistan and what is the message she would give to Islamabad, Rice said, "I have already sent a message and that message has been received favourably by Pakistan which is that whatever these leads, people have to be brought to justice. The Indian government will need to make certain that they are doing every thing to garner information so that they prevent further attacks," she said.