Proof not enough, says Pakistan

By JAVED SIDDIQUE and SHAIQ HUSSAIN
ISLAMABAD - Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Satya Pal had a meeting with Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir here on Monday and reportedly provided evidence regarding alleged involvement of Pakistani nationals in Mumbai incidents.

Pakistan has made clear on the US that the evidence provided by India is insufficient and no action can be based upon it, reliable sources said.
The evidence provided to Pakistan by the Indian envoy consisted of the statement of confession by Ajmal Kasab who is in confinement under Indian intelligence agencies and a cellphone conversation, reliable sources scribed to daily Nawa-i-Waqt/TheNation.
India has also alleged that the arms and other articles recovered from Ajmal Kasab and other people bear the inscription “Made in Pakistan”. Pakistan has also made it clear to US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher that the proofs brought to Pakistan were too insufficient to be made a ground for any action and that the statement evoked from Kasab under torture and violence of investigation agencies has no legal status, the source said. It is expected that Pakistan will tender reply to India in a day or two to come.
The government has formed a committee comprising of officials of different investigating departments that would review evidences provided by India about Mumbai attacks Monday.
According to a private TV channel, the committee would review documented proves India has provided about Mumbai attack. The committee would prepare a report after taking a detailed review in this connection, the channel added.
The Indian ‘dossier’ provided to Pakistan on Monday contains the doctored confession of Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist held during Mumbai terror attacks, records of GPS and satellite phones used by the attackers and transcript of conversations between the attackers and their alleged handlers in Pakistan.
The dossier also contains the Indian demand for the handing over of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarar Shah, who are blamed by New Delhi for masterminding and facilitating the Mumbai attacks.
Both activists of Lashkar-e-Taiba are currently in detention on Pakistani soil but Islamabad has been rejecting the demands by New Delhi for their extradition saying in case of strong evidence the country’s own law would follow the suit.
Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon too while talking to newsmen in New Delhi on Monday said that under international conventions and SAARC Charter, Pakistan was obliged to extradite the perpetrators of the terror attacks in India.
“The so-called Indian evidence also includes details about weapons and other articles recovered from the attackers with claims by New Delhi that all that came from Pakistan and were recovered from the possession of Kasab and others involved in Mumbai carnage,” said a senior official here requesting anonymity.
However, he said the Indian evidence, by and large, was based on confession of Kasab that how he got in touch with Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan, how he was trained by Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in Azad Kashmir and other parts of country, his travel to Karachi along with other terrorists and finally their sea voyage to Mumbai for attacks on Indian financial hub.
According to the official, the India’s dossier contained nothing new and it was compilation of allegations against Pakistan that had already appeared in Indian media.
He said that Pakistan too had prepared a dossier that contained evidence on Indian involvement in acts of terror in tribal areas and Balochistan with focus on the role of Indian consulates in Afghanistan in this regard.
“Pakistan will soon send its dossier to Washington and other world capitals to let them know which state in South Asia has been supporting the menace of terror on the soil of neighbouring states,” he said.
He once again ruled out the handing over of persons wanted by India saying there was no extradition treaty between the two sides for the purpose.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, who confirmed on Monday the receiving of evidence from India on Mumbai attacks, said the quarters concerned were examining the veracity of material provided by India.
“The material has been received in Pakistan now and is being examined by concerned authorities,” the spokesman said.
India, in its dossier also said that it could not believe a commando-type operation that was in evidence in Mumbai attacks could have taken place without anybody in the Pakistani establishment knowing it, according to official.
Eminent analyst General (Retired) Talat Masood when contacted to have his view on Indian demand for extradition of alleged Mumbai carnage perpetrators under SAARC convention said there was clear difference between a formal extradition treaty and a convention.
He said that the SAARC convention was meant for better cooperation among the member states against terrorism in general and it did not bind any state to hand over its citizens to other country for involvement in criminal acts.
However, he said that the persons could only be handed over under the convention if the state that had been asked for extradition of any individual was in agreement on the issue with the country that made such demand. He added that it required mutual agreement of two sides.
On question of handing over some Pakistani citizens to US in the past, he said that Pakistan was the major ally of United States in the ongoing war on terror thus fully cooperating with Washington in this regard but had greatly suffered in the process.
He said the relations that Pakistan had with India could not be compared to those it had with the United States.
Agencies add: “The Government of Pakistan will evaluate the information provided by India so far”, it was conveyed to Indian High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal, who called on Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir.
The Indian Government has expressed the hope that it will get cooperation of Government of Pakistan in carrying out further investigations.
Earlier, stepping up its diplomatic offensive, India handed over to Pakistan evidence linking it to the Mumbai attacks and prepared to share the proof with the world community with an expectation that Islamabad would cooperate in punishing the culprits.
Describing the Mumbai attacks as an “unpardonable crime”, India asked Pakistan to promptly follow up on the evidence by holding further probe there and share the results with New Delhi so that the guilty are brought to justice.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi said that he had also written to his counterparts around the globe, giving details of the Mumbai attacks, and hoped that the “world will unite” in ensuring an end to cross-border terrorism faced by India.
“We have today handed over to Pakistan evidence of the links with elements in Pakistan of the terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008,” Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi on Monday.
His statement came soon after Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik to hand over the dossier, which includes confession of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist held during the Mumbai attacks, and other material.
“What happened in Mumbai was an unpardonable crime,” Mukherjee said and asked Pakistan to implement the bilateral commitments it has made at the highest levels to India and “practice its international obligations,” he said.
The External Affairs Ministry said “this material is linked to elements in Pakistan” and “it is our expectation that the government of Pakistan will promptly undertake further investigations in Pakistan and share the results with us so as to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
The evidence includes confession of Ajmal Amir Kasab, records of GPS and satellite phones used by the attackers and transcript of conversations between the attackers and their handlers in Pakistan during the three-day gunbattles.
It also includes details about weapons and other articles recovered from the 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who allegedly came from Karachi and attacked Mumbai on 26th November last year.

“We are also briefing all our friendly countries,” the External Affairs Minister said.
“I have written to my counterparts around the world giving them details of the events in Mumbai and describing in some detail the progress that we have made in our investigations and the evidence that we have collected,” Mukherjee said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon held a special briefing for the Ambassadors and High Commissioners of over a dozen countries, including the US, UK, Israel, France, Japan, Germany, Turkey and Canada in New Delhi to apprise them of the details of investigation into the Mumbai attacks.
Menon apprised the diplomats of how suspected 10-heavily armed Pakistan nationals came from Karachi and carried out attacks on November 26, 2008, and how they were in touch with their handlers in Pakistan even during the three-day engagement with security forces.
“India presented a very strong case. We will examine it,” said Australian High Commissioner John McCarthy after the briefing.
Diplomat of another country, on condition of anonymity, said he was quite pleased and “convinced” with the evidence presented by the Foreign Secretary.
Addressing a Press conference here, Menon said it was almost impossible to believe that the Pakistani establishment had no foreknowledge of attacks against Mumbai.
“It’s hard to believe that something of this scale that took so long in preparation... could occur without anybody anywhere in the (Pakistan) establishment knowing that this was happening,” Menon told reporters.
He ruled out joint investigation with Pakistan and vowed to go to any extent for the evidence of Mumbai attacks. He again alleged that Mumbai attack was planned in Pakistan, adding that evidence collected from the lone survivor Ajmal Kasab had also been provided to Pakistan.
He, however, admitted that India had not got any evidence about direct involvement of the ISI in the attacks.
Menon, however, said it “beggars the imagination” that nobody in the Pakistani establishment had any foreknowledge.
“Most of the investigation now has to be done in Pakistan,” he said of the probe.
“We expect them to investigate, look into it, share the results with us and we’ll take it from there.”
The Indian Foreign Secretary said Delhi is no longer interested in words or mechanisms but wants “actual action” from Pakistan.
Menon, who described the Mumbai terror strike as amounting to a “commando attack”, said, “We are no longer interested in words, in mechanisms; we want actual action against perpetrators.”
“We don’t think there is any such thing as a non-state actor,” Menon said categorically, in a reference to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari labelling the terrorists as non-state actors.
“We have given them (Pakistan) material that has come out of our investigation that leads to Pakistan. All the material leads to elements in Pakistan. We expect them to investigate, share the results with us. We will take it from there.”
Referring to the fact that the Lashkar-e-Taiba had been banned but its front Jamaatud Daawa was still functioning, Menon said: “What we have seen so far does not impress us.”
He said India was seeing “an unprecedented level of international support” that was very heartening.
He added that he didn’t know whether this was sufficient to induce Pakistan to act. “That is for them and Pakistan. That is not for me to say. The primary responsibility here is for Pakistan to act.”
Agencies add: As per NNI Pakistani foreign secretary has told the High Commissioner that Pakistan is probing Mumbai blast at its own side in order to bring complete facts to light. He also told theHC that Pakistan would also scrutinize the information provided by India. Foreign Secy also reiterated the proposal of joint probe offering that Pakistan was prepared to send a high-level deputation to India and to form a joint commission headed by national security advisor of both the countries.
Pakistan foreign office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq has confirmed the receipt of documents reportedly containing the said evidence, ANN reports.