Washington:
Home Minister P Chidambaram met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday. The minister is in the US on a four-day trip aimed at enhancing co-operation between India and US on tackling terrorism in South Asia and Pakistan's role in the region.
A trained lawyer by profession, the home minister minced no words, as he stacked up evidence of Pakistan's inaction against the perpetrators of 26/11 in his talks with the Secretary of State.
"I also mentioned about the no progress in Pakistan even in respect of the 5-6 people they have arrested. And that Hafiz Saeed remains a free man... I think that is enough. I think they know how to draw the lessons from that statement," Chidambaram said.
The US wants India and Pakistan to resume bilateral talks that have stalled after the Mumbai attacks last year. But the home minister reiterated that resumption of dialogue is dependent on Islamabad prosecuting the guilty and dismantling the terror infrastructure on Pakistani soil.
Chidambaram said that the prime minister had made India's position pretty clear in Parliament. "There is no need for me to add anything to it or clarify."
Frustrated with Pakistan dragging its feet on the 26 11 investigations, the home minister has spent a hectic four days in the US, trying to sensitize members of the Obama administration and the American press about the security concerns that confront India.
The minister said that the US officials he met shared India's frustration, but the real test is how far will the US push Pakistan and risk alienating its ally in the war on terror.
The home minister will be meeting the US Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner on Friday before he heads back home.