Pak Prez, PM, Army chief meet again to discuss Mumbai attacks

Islamabad, Nov 30 (PTI) Meeting for the second time
within hours to discuss the fallout of the terror attacks in
India's financial capital Mumbai amid suspected Pakistani link
to them, Pakistan Army Chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani briefed the
civilian leadership here about operational preparedness of
military to address any eventuality.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari met Premier Yousuf
Raza Gilani and Kayani late Saturday night again after their
first meeting ended in the wee hours Saturday.

At their meeting Saturday night, which came after
Pakistan backtracked on sending Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI) chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha to Delhi in connection with the
Mumbai attacks, the three leaders reviewed the situation that
had arisen following the terrorist strikes in India's
financial hub.

Kayani briefed the President and Prime Minister about
the operational preparedness of Pakistan's armed forces to
meet any eventuality, TV channels quoted official sources as
saying.

Kayani informed the civilian leadership that the
military was capable of thwarting any aggression, the sources
said.

The sources also quoted the three leaders as saying
that India should refrain from levelling "baseless
allegations" against Pakistan in connection with the Mumbai
attacks.

The discussions followed a special meeting of the
Cabinet chaired by Gilani, which condemned the attacks as a
"barbaric act of terrorism" and termed the menace a "common
threat" to both countries.

The meeting said Pakistan will "stand
shoulder-to-shoulder with the Indian people to defeat this
common enemy", Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a
news conference.

Gilani also telephoned leaders of all political
parties, including Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q)
President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, PML-Nawaz chief Nawaz
Sharif, Awami National Party (ANP) leader Asfandyar Wali Khan,
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman,
Jamaat-e-Islami's Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Punjab Chief Minister
Shahbaz Sharif and discussed with them the prevailing
situation in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai that
claimed 183 lives.

Gilani took the political leaders into confidence on
the current situation. The leaders assured Gilani of their
full support and cooperation at this critical juncture, said
an official statement.

At the same time, Qureshi spoke with his counterparts
from China and UAE and the European Union High Representative
for Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana.

Qureshi said Pakistan had strongly condemned the
terrorist attacks in Mumbai. He said Pakistan would extend all
possible assistance to India in this hour of grief. "Terrorism
is a menace to humanity and it must be eliminated," he said.

The interlocutors "appreciated Pakistan's stance and
lauded its role in the war on terror," said a statement from
the Foreign Office.

Earlier Saturday, the Pakistan government did a U-turn
on sending the ISI chief to India apparently under pressure
from the powerful army and decided to depute a senior official
of the spy agency for the task. PTI RHL
PMR