Pak takes U-turn; to send representative instead of ISI chief

Islamabad, Nov 29 (PTI) Pakistan Saturday did an about turn on sending the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief to India in connection with the probe into the terrorist attacks in India's financial capital Mumbai, saying a representative of the spy agency would be sent instead of him.

The decision was made at a late night meeting between
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Gen Ashfaq Parvez
Kayani, the chief of the powerful army. Prime Minister Yousuf
Raza Gilani also joined the meeting, which was held at the
presidency and continued past 1.30 a.m. local time.

"A representative of the ISI will visit India, instead
of its Director General Lt Gen Shuja Pasha, to help in
investigating the Mumbai terrorism incident," a spokesman for
the Prime Minister's House said here.

Gilani had Friday accepted a request from his Indian
counterpart Manmohan Singh to send the ISI chief to New Delhi
for sharing information on the coordinated terrorist attacks
that killed over 160 people and injured hundreds more.

Singh made the request when Gilani telephoned him to
condemn the attacks and to offer Pakistan's assistance in
investigating the incident.

Separate statements issued by the Prime Minister's
House and the Foreign Office had acknowledged that the ISI
chief would travel to India in connection with the probe. The
statement from the Prime Minister's House had said the "ISI
chief will visit India at the earliest" after modalities were
worked out by both governments.

Gilani's decision was criticised by the opposition
Pakistan Muslim League-Nation (PML-N), Pakistan Muslim
League-Quaida (PML-Q) and Jamaat-e-Islami. Analysts in India
and Pakistan had also questioned whether the civilian
government led by Gilani's Pakistan People's Party would be
able to convince the powerful military to send the ISI chief
to India.

Talking to a private TV channel Friday night, army
spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas had been guarded when asked
about the ISI chief's proposed visit to India.

"As far as the visit is concerned, I can only comment
when we receive a formal order from the government on the
modalities and the details of the visit," he said.

Abbas also said it was "unfortunate" that senior
Indian military officers were "making speculative comments
without even making a preliminary investigation" in the Mumbai
attacks. PTI