Simran Sodhi,Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 6

Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain today condemned the Pathankot attacks, but in the same breath reiterated his nation’s support for Kashmir and the “right of the Kashmiris for self-determination”. “Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the incident at Pathankot,” Hussain said, according to an official statement released after his meeting with a delegation from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in Islamabad.Hussain’s statement, said Indian analysts, made one believe that Pakistan was sticking to its old policy of raising the “K” card every time India took up terror emanating from the neighbouring nation’s soil. The Pakistan President also said “the support for the right of self- determination for Kashmiri people is the basic principle of Pakistan’s foreign policy”. “Pakistan will continue supporting the right of self-determination of Kashmiris because Pakistan considers Kashmir as an unfinished agenda of Partition,” he said. The emphasis on Kashmir by the Pakistan President would raise a red flag for India, which wants terror to be the focus of dialogue between the two countries. The foreign secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan are likely to be postponed as India wants the national security advisers  to first meet and discuss terror.

More nations back India

• The Bangladesh Foreign Minister wrote to External Affairs Minister that ‘it firmly stands beside India in the fight against terrorism’
• Brazil, Maldives and Nepal also reached out to India and expressed their support
• South Korea said ‘terrorism is a crime against humanity’, while Japan said ‘terrorism cannot be justified for any reason’
• France said it ‘stands alongside India in its fight against terrorism’