India: Pakistan must stamp out terrorist groups

India warned Sunday that Pakistan must root out terrorist groups operating in its territory before peace talks between the nuclear-armed neighbors can make any meaningful progress.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said dialogue between India and Pakistan to resolve longstanding differences will not move forward until Islamabad cracks down on Pakistan-based militant groups that carry out attacks in India.

During their many rounds of peace talks, India has continually emphasized the need for Pakistan to crackdown on terrorist groups, Singh said Sunday in a speech to mark India's Independence Day.

"If this is not done, we cannot progress far in our dialogue with Pakistan," he said.

Peace talks between India and Pakistan were stalled after a deadly terror attack on Mumbai, India's financial hub, in 2008 that left 166 people dead. New Delhi blamed the attacks on Pakistan-based militants.

In July the foreign ministers of the two countries met in Islamabad in an effort to resume a structured dialogue that was in progress before the Mumbai attack.

New Delhi accuses Pakistan of supporting Islamic militant grops such as the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, which have carried out terror strikes against India. Pakistan denies the charge.