He said that it was a 'strong conviction of ours that there were official elements patronizing terror but I did not accuse the present democratic establishment of Pakistan of being of the same mindset'.

Manmohan Singh has come under attack for his joint statement that delinks the issue of terrorism from the composite dialogue process issued after the talks. The statement, which tasks the two foreign secretaries to meet 'as often as necessary' before the foreign ministers meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, is being seen as a climbdown from India's stated position that credible action against the Mumbai perpetrators and dismantling of the terror infrastructure were necessary for bilateral talks to resume.