Pak must act against Hafeez Saeed: US Ambassador Roemer

US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer on Friday met Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi. The meeting assumes significance as Pakistan on Thursday filed two FIRs against Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. LISTEN TO PODCAST

Piling up pressure on Pakistan, the United States on Friday said it was important that "swift and lengthy" punishment should be slapped on six Mumbai terror attack suspects, including LeT founder Hafeez Saeed, in that country.

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"Swift and lengthy punishment for six suspects of Mumbai attacks in Pakistan is important for the US and India," US Ambassador Timothy J Roemer told reporters after meeting Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi.

The US envoy's comments came ahead of the meeting of Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan in New York on the margins of the UN General Assembly session.

The Ambassador said it was important for the US and India that action is taken against the LeT founder and terror infrastructure in Pakistan is dismantled.

"Going after Hafeez Saeed and dismantling terror infrastructure in that region is extremely important for both US and India," he said.

During External Affair Minister SM Krishna's meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Indian side is expected to convey its disappointment over Pakistan dithering in prosecuting the Mumbai terror accused.

Roemer had said yesterday in Mumbai that Pakistan-based LeT posed a "regional and global" threat for the US and India.

"It is extremely important that these six people be brought to justice and put behind bars and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world," he had said.

Roemer said he hoped that in future the action on 26/11 includes people like Hafeez Saeed and noted that he was put into an Interpol red flag list recently.

Pakistan has made it clear that it will not accept any precondition set by India for resuming talks or buckle under pressure mounted on the Mumbai attack issue.

India is mistaken if it thinks anything can be achieved by piling up pressure on Pakistan, Qureshi told reporters in Lahore.

While Pakistan has been insisting on early resumption of the dialogue process stalled since November last year, India has firmly stated that this was not possible till Pakistan acted against the perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks.

"We want a dialogue (with India) but we are not willing to accept any conditions...We want talks in an open and friendly atmosphere. They (India) are mistaken if they think they can achieve anything by putting pressure on Pakistan," Qureshi said.