Indian embassy blast: Pak says 'blame-game' should be avoided

Ajay Kaul

Colombo, Aug 3 (PTI) Rejecting as "shocking" India's
contention that I.S.I. was behind the Indian embassy attack in
Kabul, Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has said such a
"blame-game" should be avoided as it "vitiates" atmosphere.

Gilani, who promised to hold an inquiry into the incident
when he met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday, insisted
Pakistan is against terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations and stands ready to fulfill its obligations in
fighting the menace.

"We reject the Indian allegations levelled against our
intelligence agencies and armed forces. Such baseless
accusations serve no purpose other than vitiating bilateral
atmosphere," he told Sri Lankan newspaper 'The Sunday Leader'
in an interview.

"...It may be recalled that we have condemned the
incident in the strongest terms. Against this background, the
Indian statement is not only surprising but shocking too."

Gilani was reacting when asked about National Security
Adviser M.K. Narayanan's statement that I.S.I. was behind the
attack on Indian embassy in Kabul July 7 which killed
nearly 60 people, including four Indians, and that the
Pakistani intelligence agency should be destroyed.

"There were also bombing incidents in Pakistan
subsequently, but we have not pointed fingers at anyone as we
believe in carrying out investigations before laying
responsibility," the Pakistan Prime Minister said.

"It is important that the blame-game is avoided, as both
countries have an institutionalised counter terrorism
mechanism which is working satisfactorily," said Gilani, who
was here to attend the S.A.A.R.C. Summit.

The interview significantly appeared a day after Gilani
promised to Singh that he would hold an independent
investigation to ascertain whether or not his country's
intelligence agency was involved in the attack.

His promise came after Singh conveyed India's concerns
over the embassy attack and the recent ceasefire violations by
Pakistani forces and bluntly told Gilani that such incidents
put the bilateral dialogue process in "difficulty".

After their meeting, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon
had said Singh was "relatively frank in expressing his
concerns about recent incidents which have had an impact on
the relationship and the prospects of the dialogue."

Gilani had also told Singh that he would meet Afghan
President Hamid Karzai, who was the first to blame I.S.I. for
the blast.

The Pakistan Prime Minister told the newspaper that
incidents like Kabul attack "urge us to strengthen cooperation
in the fight against terrorism at the regional level too."

He referred to the S.A.A.R.C. Regional Convention on
Suppression of Terrorism, which Pakistan has signed and
ratified and said "we stand ready to fulfil our obligations in
this regard and hope to see similar commitment from other
countries of South Asia."

To a question about concerns in India over Colombo
procuring weapons from Pakistan, Gilani said "being a
sovereign country, it is up to Sri Lanka to make decisions in
its best interest."