Pakistan says India should share evidence on Mumbai attacks

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Dec 12 (PTI) Pakistan Friday told India to share evidence from Mumbai terror attacks cautioning that in the absence of this the prosecution of key suspects rounded up in the country would be hampered.

"Our own investigations cannot proceed beyond a certain
point without provision of credible information and evidence
pertaining to Mumbai attacks," Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood
Qureshi said in a televised statement aired late Thursday
night.

The Pakistani demand comes in the face of strong pitch by
India asking it to crackdown on the perpetrators of the Mumbai
terror attacks.

Calling for a "sustained and pragmatic cooperation",
Qureshi said "any criminal investigation proceeds from the
scene of crime to the criminal".

He said Pakistan has repeatedly underscored the need for
serious cooperation between the two countries, but despite our
request "no evidence or information has been shared with us".

Referring to the spate of allegations concerning the
involvement of certain individuals of Pakistani origin in
Mumbai attacks, Qureshi said the government had already
initiated investigations on its own.

"It is the firm conviction of Pakistan not to allow its
territory to be used for any act of terrorism," the Pakistan
Foreign Minister said putting forth the plea that Islamabad
itself was a victim of terrorism.

Qureshi spoke hours after the Pakistan government banned
the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and puts its chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed
under house arrest and sealed several offices of the terrorist
group across the country.

He said Pakistan has also proposed the establishment of a
joint commission and launching of a joint investigation on the
Mumbai terror attacks "in an earnest effort to move forward in
the area which equally concerns both Pakistan and India". PTI
RHL