Pak says `seriously examining` Indian `info` on Mumbai attack

Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Jan 7 (PTI) Pakistan Wednesday said the
"information" provided by India on the Mumbai attacks is being
"seriously examined" to uncover full facts behind the terror
strikes and establish evidence that will stand up to legal
scrutiny.

Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said
the "information material received from India is being
seriously examined".

Pakistan is "fully determined in its investigations to
uncover full facts pertaining to the Mumbai incident and is
cognizant of the need for establishing legally tenable
evidence," Sadiq said in a statement.

At the same time, he said Pakistan "regrets the
propaganda campaign unleashed by India to malign Pakistan".
The "blame game and political point-scoring" is
counter-productive and unacceptable, he added.

Noting that terrorism is a "pernicious problem afflicting
South Asia", Sadiq called for a "pragmatic and responsible
approach, including cooperation between the relevant
investigation departments".

He said this is the "imperative need of the hour to deal
with the Mumbai terrorist attacks and to prevent any such
incident in India, Pakistan or elsewhere".

Earlier, Pakistan's top political leadership had decided
to conduct its own investigation to professionally analyse the
information related to the terrorist incident that was handed
over by India in a dossier two days back.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza
Gilani discussed the regional situation during a meeting
Tuesday and decided "to carry out a credible investigation
of the evidence provided by India", The News daily quoted
sources as saying.

The two leaders decided that Pakistani investigators
should "professionally analyse" the information about the
terrorist attacks, the Daily Times quoted sources as saying.

They agreed that Pakistan should extend "complete
cooperation to India in the investigations".

Zardari and Gilani agreed that if anyone is found guilty,
"action will be taken against them in accordance with
(Pakistani) laws and no one will be handed over to India", the
sources said.

Information Minister Sherry Rehman Tuesday said Pakistan
should be provided access to the scene of the crime so that it
could push forward its own probe into the Mumbai attacks.

India and Pakistan have traded angry words over the issue
of involvement of Pakistan's official agencies in the Mumbai
attacks.

Hours after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said
"some official agencies" in Pakistan had backed the attacks,
Islamabad issued a strongly worded statement to dismiss the
charge.

Media reports also quoted sources as saying that Zardari
and Gilani had rejected Singh's comments.

On Monday, India handed over a dossier on its probe into
the Mumbai attacks to Pakistan, asking it to take action
against elements in the country which were involved in
planning and executing the terrorist strike. PTI