Says Islamabad
Cnn-ibn, Islamabad/new Delhi
After weeks of dithering, Islamabad has now rejected the 26/11 evidence dossier provided by India. Reports indicate that Pakistan’s internal probe has concluded that the Mumbai terror attack was planned outside its territory.
The report that was to be submitted to India by Wednesday is now likely to be communicated to India by the end of this month.
Pakistan appears all set to declare that no group or organisation in the country carried out the Mumbai attacks. Sources in Islamabad have told Dawn TV the Mumbai attack was planned from somewhere outside Pakistan and there are apparently no references to the Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Dawn News correspondent Mateen Haider said, “Certain information that was provided by India and that links Mumbai attacks with Pakistan.”
“The initial report says that there were no such things, no leads found in Pakistan. The attack was planned outside Pakistan.”
This is a response just as many had expected it to be, coming typically from Pakistan in reply to the Indian dossier handed over earlier this month.
The formal response from Islamabad will come probably later this week or early next.
The implications are serious.
It would confirm that Islamabad is not serious about taking action against terrorist groups with anti-India terror agendas.
India may be left with no option but to crank up the diplomatic pressure against Islamabad.
But India’s leverage is limited.
Travel and trade embargo will hit only the civil society in the troubled nation and play unwittingly but directly into the hands of the military and intelligence establishment.
Pressure from Washington could work but that’s only if the interests of the United States and India coincide.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
