U.S., India ask Pakistan to crackdown on terror

NEW DELHI, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Tuesday urged Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not at all used as "launching pad" by militants for terror attacks and reiterated New Delhi's call to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai massacre, including its alleged mastermind Hafiz Saeed, to justice.

"Combating violent extremism is something we all agree on. Pakistan should do more in ensuring that territory is not used as a launching pad for terrorist attacks anywhere, including inside of Pakistan," said visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

"The unfortunate thing is the attacks have taken the lives of 30,000 Pakistanis," Secretary Clinton said at a joint press conference after talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna in New Delhi, capital of India.

Both Secretary Clinton and Krishna asked Pakistan to take steps to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks in which more than 170 people, including six Americans, were killed.

Saeed, the founder of Pakistan-based banned outfit Lashker-e- Taiba, has been named as the chief architect of the Mumbai massacre, carried out by 10 Pakistani militants who entered the country through sea-route.

"Recent attacks in Kabul highlight once again the need for elimination of terrorist sanctuaries in the neighborhood and the need for stronger action from Pakistan on terrorism, including on bringing to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai terrorist attack. We also discussed our respective relations with Pakistan," Krishna said.

On Tehran's nuclear program, Secretary Clinton said that the U. S. hopes to see continuing progress in India reducing oil imports from Iran.