26/11 probe delayed because of India: Rehman Malik

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik Saturday said a delay in investigations into the 26/11 Mumbai attack has been caused because of a lukewarm response from India.

“We have asked India to share some information with us to help us proceed with the probe, but the requisite information has not reached us as yet,” Malik said during a visit to the Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) office in Islamabad.

Referring to Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s statement that progress on the 26/11 probe was slow in Pakistan, he said: “I totally agree with him but there are some reasons for it. Indian law and Pakistani law are different, and we have to find a way out to tackle the problem.”

“We have made Ajmal Kasab’s statement a basis for FIR but our legal system demands it to be verified. Indian courts are not allowing Kasab or other witnesses to come to Pakistan for cross-questioning.”

“We have asked them whether a judicial commission can be sent from Pakistan. They (India) have made a few queries regarding the process which we clarified,” he said.

“We have still not received any answer,” he said. “Pakistan is not hesitant to further the probe but proper course has to be followed.”

“The interior ministry has forwarded some proposals to India to form a mechanism in this regard, but there is no response as yet,” he stated.

“I want to give this message to the Indian public that we are with them and want to uproot the menace of terrorism, because Pakistan has itself been the worst-hit country,” he said.

“A nexus between Pakistani militant outfits and Hindu terrorist organisations cannot be ruled out,” he said.

India has accused Pakistan-based militant outfits of carrying out the Mumbai terror attacks. Pakistan has maintained that sufficient evidence has not been provided by the Indian government to proceed forward and take punitive action against the suspects.

(Awais Saleem can be contacted at ians.pakistan@gmail.com)