Moscow: Pakistan is the epicentre of terrorism and is trying to weaken and dismember India with the help of cross-border terrorism, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said on February 19.

Islamabad, which had "actively participated" in the creation of Taleban and al- Qaida, now for two decades is using cross-border terrorism as an instrument to "weaken and dismember India", Sinha said in an interview to Russian dailies 'Nezavisimaya Gazeta' and 'Vremya Novostyei' ahead of two-day parleys with Russian leaders.

At his first interaction with Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, anti-terror combat, the threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) falling into the hands of terrorists, the situation in Afghanistan against the backdrop of al-Qaida and Taleban forces regrouping topped Sinha's agenda.

He expressed India's unfaltering support for the Karzai government in Kabul and expressed New Delhi's desire for the extension of Kabul government's authority over all the regions of Afghanistan.

At the start of their talks, Sinha and Ivanov noted that Indo-Russian relationship is "very, very special".

PTI