War against Pak-sponsored terror is India's alone: Sinha

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: External affairs minister Yashwant Sinha is unfazed by recent remarks from Washington, which suggest a softening of approach towards Pakistan. In an interview to The Times of India, he denies this is a setback for Indian foreign policy and says the fight against cross-border terrorism has to be fought and won by India alone.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">What has been the achievement of our foreign policy?</span><br /><br />A major success is that the international community has realised that Pakistan is responsible for cross-border terror. Many countries have said Pakistan should desist from sponsoring terrorism. Has it stopped it from doing so? No. Will it stop Pakistan in future? One cannot be sure. This''s why the war against terrorism will have to be fought and won by India.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">The US continues to treat India and Pakistan with an even hand. Will this change in the future? </span><br /><br />I think any country which tries to balance Pakistan with India is making a grievous mistake because the international community has accepted that Pakistan is guilty of cross-border terrorism. We are victims of this. There cannot be a balance between a victim and an assailant. We have always said that India is in a different league, be it in economic strength, military prowess or our standing in the world. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">When you say that India should not depend on anybody else, aren''t you actually admitting that foreign policy has not been able to deliver on this front? </span><br /><br />You don''t expect me to say ''yes'' to this, do you? But our foreign policy has been effective in convincing the international community. We are assured that many countries are putting pressure on Pakistan, but it has not been effective. <br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">India doesn''t want to hold talks until Pakistan has created the climate. Doesn''t this run the risk of escalating the situation? </span><br /><br />No, I think it has been an effective policy so far. It has created the desired impact to a large extent. When we say that terrorism and dialogue cannot go together, we are being pragmatic. Suppose we were talking and the Nadimarg massacre takes place, what would be the first impulse? To break off talks. So in order to have a sustained dialogue and to arrive at a long-term solution, terrorism should be brought to an end by Pakistan and a proper climate created. </div> </div>