National Security Advisor M K Narayanan today said that he and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon were working “very actively” on the joint Indo-Pak anti terror mechanism and they hoped to have a frame work ready if not in a few days, in a few weeks. He said specific evidence will be given to Pakistan.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Narayanan, accompanying the PM on his two-nation tour, said that Intelligence officials have been receptive to the idea of the joint mechanism and were presently working out parameters and listing what sort of information and inputs could be given to Pakistan as part of the joint mechanism.

“The Prime Minister too is very comfortable with the idea. He has said that trust and verification should be the two things with which we should bear in mind while judging Pakistan’s offer of cooperation. We will give this route a shot. If we don’t succeed, we will set up some other mechanism.”

“I want the joint mechanism to work for a fairly long period of time so that it can be properly tested and we give Pakistan far more evidence than, say, we have been in diplomatic dialogues. Their actions will be verifiable. Specifics will be given to them in each and every case. But if we see that in all cases the mechanism isn’t working and there are no results, then we will have to think. Presently, a great deal depends on trust.”

On the support India received from UK in the fight against terror, Narayanan said that the lengthy talks between Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Tony Blair had taken cooperation on the issue of combating terror “substantially forward”.

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