The access to David Headley given by the U.S. government to Indian authorities is a “symbol” of the strong partnership between the two countries, said Michael P. Pelletier, minister-counsellor for public affairs, Embassy of the United States of America.
Speaking to The Hindu on Friday, Mr. Pelletier said: “We have worked very hard — the U.S. government and the Indian government — to make this access happen and more than anything this shows how strong our partnership is [especially] in the area of counter-terrorism.” It was also an indication that the strong partnership between the two countries would continue, he added.
Mr. Pelletier also referred to the India-U.S. strategic dialogue held in Washington recently and said President Obama's interest in it showed how important the partnership was at the highest levels in the U.S. government. The broad range of topics discussed and the number of authorities who participated in the meeting showed the depth and the broad-based nature of the partnership, he said.
On the action taken by the Pakistan government on extremists allegedly on its soil, following the Mumbai attacks in 2008, Mr. Pelletier said many Pakistanis had talked about how violence and extremism hit their people and society and it was important for them to deal with it for both internal and external reasons.
He said the U.S. government was working very hard to stress the importance of this to the Pakistani officials and was working hard to deliver assistance in such a way as to bolster stability and security and democracy within the country because it was in Pakistan's interest as much as it was in India's interest and in “everyone's interest.”
