China urged to persuade Pakistan to dismantle terror network

A month after Mumbai's terror strikes, India sought to intensify global pressure on Pakistan by asking China to use its clout to persuade Islamabad to dismantle terror infrastructure in that country.

A month after Mumbai's terror strikes, India on Friday sought to intensify global pressure on Pakistan by asking China to use its clout to persuade Islamabad to dismantle terror infrastructure in that country.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi called up External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday and conveyed his country's solidarity with India in the fight against terrorism.

In his telephonic conversation, Mukherjee told his Chinese counterpart that Beijing should use its enormous influence with Islamabad to persuade the latter to dismantle anti-India terror infrastructure in that country, official sources said.

The telephonic conversation lasted 20-25 minutes and covered various aspects of India-China relationship, the sources said.

Early this week, China, which calls itself an 'all-weather friend of Pakistan', called on New Delhi and Islamabad to resolve through peaceful dialogue issues in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.

"We hope to see improvement in India-Pakistan relations," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a press conference on Tuesday.

The spokesperson underlined that the improvement in the relationship between India and Pakistan will help to maintain regional peace and stability.

China would, as always, support efforts by both countries to improve bilateral relations and safeguard regional peace, Qin said.

He said China had strongly denounced the attacks on Mumbai that killed at least 173 people and left more than 300 others injured.