PrimeMinister speaks with Iran

As part of stepped-up diplomatic offensive to get Pakistan to act against perpetraors of Mumbai
terror attacks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last night (December 27) spoke to Iranian President Ahmednijad and is understood to have asked him to pressure Islamabad to do more to end cross-border terrorism.

Singh conveyed to Ahmednijad that Pakistan has to take concrete action to stop cross-border terror and by being in denial mode would not help.The Prime Minister is understood to have told the Iranian leader that India has so far exercised restraint and asked him to presssure Pakistan to take concrete action against handlers of those who carried out the Mumbai terror attacks last month.

The telephonic conversation between Singh and Ahmednijad came a day after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to his Iranian counterpart Manounchehr Mottaki on the issue.

Mukherjee had also spoken to his counterparts from the US, China and Saudi Arabia over phone and told them that India has “ample evidence” about involvement of Pakistan-based elements in the Mumbai strikes and that they should to put pressure on Islamabad to act against them.