NEW DELHI, Jan 17: India has said Pakistan’s approach to the Mumbai terror attacks proved that the composite dialogue between the two countries was meaningless.

“I believe Pakistan’s position since Mumbai attack has put a very large question mark over the achievements of the composite dialogue process over the past four-and-a-half years,” Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in an interview published on Saturday.

“The absence of a sincere and transparent position on terrorism has eroded the value of the dialogue process,” he told the Times of India.

“If one takes a broader view, this is not a good development because it places a long-term question mark on the utility of dialogue as a means to resolve bilateral issues with Pakistan.”

As a consequence, the popular support, which the dialogue process with

Pakistan had, is now very significantly eroded. “The joint anti-terror mechanism or the home secretaries’ meetings on terrorism both have certainly not delivered the results we anticipated because of a persistent reluctance to face up to the fundamental issue of terrorism.”

Mr Mukherjee seemed unimpressed with the measures Pakistan had taken so far against alleged terror groups. “If an organisation is banned or its activities considered undesirable, can it be possible to have part of its activities legal and part illegal? I read their charities will not be affected,” Mr Mukherjee said.

Mr Mukherjee was asked if he thought some of his foreign interlocutors were not convinced of India’s claim that the Pakistan state played a role in the November attack. He said: “Diplomacy takes time and individual countries have their own perceptions. Other countries have clearly said Pakistan has to do much more than they have done. They recognise Pakistan is the epicentre of terrorism.”

But Mr Mukherjee said the American response had been positive although “we don’t know what steps were taken to influence Pakistan to fight against terrorism.”

The minister rejected the view that terrorism in South Asia is somehow tied in with the “Kashmir problem”. “Frankly I do not see any such relationship. I believe terrorism, as a phenomenon, needs a clear understanding rather than simply relating it to any available issue. I believe this point is well understood.”

Meanwhile, addressing a function in Mumbai, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh widened the scope of his expectations of Pakistan, telling Islamabad never to allow attacks like the ones on Mumbai or the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul in July.

The Indian leader had so far described the attack on the embassy in Afghanistan as the work of the “worst kind of criminals” but linking it to Pakistan was left to lesser, usually unnamed, officials.

On Saturday, however, he appeared to make Mumbai and Kabul Pakistan’s responsibility. “Pakistan should act against the LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) and other terrorist groups and their sponsors -- in its own interest, in the discharge of its obligations under international instruments, and to honour the bilateral commitments it has given us at the highest level,” he said.

He said the Pakistan government had announced that the results of their investigations would be made public in a few days. “I urge the Pakistani authorities to come out with a full and complete disclosure of all the facts surrounding the case, without attempts at denial, diversion or obfuscation.”