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Summary
Ruling out war as an option, Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday reinforced Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs position that We cant erase Pakistan. Its going to exist. War is no solution, Mukherjee said while underlining the importance of keeping talks going with Pakistan. He further said there was no alternative but to keep talking to Pakistan, but made it clear that there was no surrender by the government on the issue of combating cross-border terrorism. Neither have we succumbed to terrorism nor will we stop talking, Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha during a debate on issues arising from the prime ministers foreign visits, including his trip to Egypt where he met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Action on terror was independent of any composite dialogue, he asserted. Mukherjee, who was foreign minister when the Mumbai attacks took place, clarified that talking did not mean the resumption of a full-fledged dialogue. Keeping channels open does not mean surrendering our position on terrorism, Mukherjee stressed, adding that Pakistan must act credibly and verifiably to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure operating from its soil. He also defended the inclusion of Balochistan in the July 16 Pak-India joint statement saying a unilateral reference does not mean giving credibility to Pakistans allegations of any Indian role in unrest in Pakistans southwest province. We have no role to play in Balochistan, he said.
