Kolkata:
Speaking exclusively to NDTV in Kolkata, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, who the US will target in the war against terror, the 10 million dollar bounty commissioned by her for information leading to and Pakistan's failure to do "what both India and US have repeatedly requested" in the context of action against the perpetrators of 26/11. She was in conversation with NDTV's Barkha Dutt.
NDTV: I am getting a question on Twitter, this says with the United States terminating Osama bin Laden last year, what is the next big target for America in the war against terrorism? As you answer that, I am actually going to get up the very definitive image there, I am going to ask you a few questions about what you were thinking in that moment? What's the next big target?
Clinton: Look, we want to disable Al Qaeda and we have made a lot of progress in doing that. There are several significant leaders still on the run; Zawahiri who inherited the leadership from bin Laden is somewhere, we believe, in Pakistan. So we are intent upon going after those who are trying to keep Al Qaeda operational and inspirational. But the network of terrorism which India knows all too well from your own experiences is more broad-based than any one group. I think you have to do three things - you have to have the very best possible intelligence; law enforcement; judicial defence response - so that you can protect your people. First obligation of any government is to protect your people and you got to do that. Secondly, you have to go after those who are trying to kill you. You have to be focused on that. I recently authorised 10 million dollar award for one of the people we believe was the mastermind of the attack in Mumbai...
NDTV: Hafiz Saeed...
Clinton: ...That killed 166 people including six Americans and we want everybody associated with this brought to justice. It may take longer than any one of us would like but we are going to be standing with you to make that happen and that thirdly though you have to change the way the people think. India and US are the greatest rebukes to religious extremism. Because you have people of every religion like we do and that drives the extremist crazy. They hate tolerance. They hate respect for people's religious beliefs. They want all to believe what they believe and we stand against that. We have to be working towards a greater religious tolerance, greater inner faith, understanding, ending any remnants of discrimination or prejudice or bias and make the case broadly across the world that the extremist are a dead end. That the way for a better future is where people are listening to each other, respecting each other.
NDTV: I am so glad you brought up the example of Hafiz Saeed and the decision you authorised that was announced in the US justice department and you saw the response here. There has been some confusion. Initially, it was announced as a bounty on his head, then it turned out to be reward to the information that led to his arrest or conviction. Indians say we have handed over dossiers after dossiers and all the information that is needed is there is in those dossiers. Are you saying there isn't enough information?
Clinton: No, but we are saying that this is the way our system works. I mean that's what these rewards are; they are rewards for information that can lead to bringing somebody to justice. We are well aware that there have not yet been steps taken by the Pakistani government to do what both India and US have repeatedly requested that they do. And we are going to keep pushing that point. So it's a way of raising the visibility and pointing out to those who are associated with them that there is a cost for that and it's a cost that they themselves will have to pay going forward.