Chicago: U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has said that he expected Islamabad to fully cooperate with New Delhi in the investigations into the Mumbai terror attacks, and India, like other sovereign nations, has the right to “protect” itself. “My expectation is that President [Asif Ali] Zardari of Pakistan, who has already said that he will fully cooperate with the investigation, will follow through with that commitment,” he said on Monday echoing the remarks of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier in the day.
Asked if India had the right to “take out” high-value targets inside Pakistan with or without the permission of Islamabad, as he espousing in regard to the U.S. under his presidency, he said: “I think that sovereign nations, obviously, have a right to protect themselves. “Beyond that, I don’t want to comment on the specific situation that’s taking place in South Asia right now. I think it is important for us to let the investigators do their jobs and make a determination in terms of who was responsible for carrying out these heinous acts.”
Introducing his new Cabinet members, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Mr. Obama said his administration would remain steadfast in support of India’s efforts to catch the perpetrators of the deadly strikes and bring them to justice.
Voicing confidence that his team would help make a new beginning for American national security, he said the advisers met to discuss the Mumbai situation and some of the challenges that the U.S. would face in the future.
Mr. Obama said Americans stood with the people of India “in this dark time” after the Mumbai attacks and asserted that his incoming administration was “absolutely committed to eliminating the threat of terrorism.”