India to Pakistan: More people should be prosecuted for 26/11

ISLAMABAD - Hoping for a “positive outcome” from his talks here, Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram Saturday said he has conveyed to Pakistan that more people were behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack and “more people” should be prosecuted.

“We think more people lay behind the Mumbai attack and more people should be prosecuted,” Chidambaram told reporters here after Friday night’s talks with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik.

“That point has been made to the Pakistan government,” he stressed.

Chidambaram said it was up to the Pakistani government to inform India about its progress in prosecuting the seven suspects who are being currently tried in Pakistani courts.

“We know seven people are being prosecuted in the case. How far this prosecution has proceeded, this is for the Pakistan government to say,” he said, while noting that the trial, which was scheduled for Saturday, had been adjourned by a week.

“I have conveyed whatever was unnecessary to my Pakistani counterpart and he has conveyed whatever was necessary,” Chidambaram added.

“I wish to remain positive about the outcome of my meeting with Malik. That’s what we tried to do, we identified what needs to be done besides what has already been done. We spoke directly to each other,” he said.

“I remain positive that something good will emerge from this interaction and meeting,” he stressed.

“It’s a good beginning,” Malik told reporters separately.

The discussions between the two ministers will continue at the dinner Malik is to host Saturday night for his Indian guest.

In his wide-ranging discussions with Malik Friday night, Chidambaram impressed upon his host to address India’s core concerns over terrorism with the seriousness they deserve and asked Pakistan to take concrete action against the Mumbai attackers and their handlers in Pakistan.

Building on the June 24 foreign secretary-level talks, Chidambaram underlined that India has given enough dossiers - an 11th was given a few days ago - and it was time for Pakistan to act and bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage swiftly to justice.

Stressing on concrete action against Hafiz Saeed, the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, Chidambaram sought the evidence presented by the Pakistan government against Saeed as Islamabad had earlier cited legal difficulties in prosecuting the anti-India ideologue.

He also sought voice samples of the Pakistani handlers of the 10 Pakistani terrorists who stormed Mumbai Nov 26-29, 2008, killing 166 people, including 26 foreigners, and took up the recent spike in infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir.