Wednesday, May 18 2005 07:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Government yesterday (May 17, 2005) said that though there has been "some decline" in the level of infiltration in the recent past, no significant action has been taken by Pakistan so far to dismantle terrorist infrastructure in that country.

"The Government is monitoring the situation closely and continues to emphasize upon Pakistan the criticality of the fulfilment of its commitment on terrorism," the annual report of the External Affairs Ministry for 2004-05 said.

It said the ceasefire of November 25, 2003 along the International Boundary (IB), Line of Control (LoC) and the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) continues to hold.

"While there has been some decline in the level of infiltration in the recent past, Pakistan has so far not taken any significant action to dismantle the infrastructure of support to terrorism, such as communication links, launching pads and training camps," it said.

Giving an overview of relations with neighbouring countries, it said Government pursued a "pro-active" policy of constructive engagement to establish peaceful, friendly and cooperative ties with Pakistan with the larger objective of cementing a viable structure of peace and stability in South Asia.

Based on the solemn commitment given by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on January 6, 2004 in Islamabad not to permit any territory under Pakistan's control to be used to support terrorism, the two countries maintained their composite dialogue in 2004-05, it said.

The report noted that during the visit of External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh to Islamabad in February this year, the two sides decided to start the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service from April and another service from Amritsar to Lahore and religious places such as Nankana Sahib.

As part of Confidence-Building Measures (CBM), the two countries have agreed to initiate discussions on reducing risks of nuclear accidents or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons and preventing incidents at sea.

The report noted that continuity and consolidation marked India-China relations during the past year. It said India maintained its commitment to the process of dialogue to resolve outstanding differences and to build a long-term constructive and cooperative relationship with China.

On Indo-US ties, it said both sides showed strong commitment to engage across the spectrum that included strategic and security issues, Defence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, science and technology, health, trade, space, energy and environment.

The meeting between the Prime Minister and President George W Bush in New York in September on the sidelines of the UNGA underlined the strategic dimension of bilateral relations including their commitment to combating proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and enhancing global security.

The report that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government's foreign policy was a "forward-looking engagement with the rest of the world, based on a rigorous, realistic and contemporary assessment of the bilateral, regional and global geo-political and economic milieu.