India ready with Pak-30 reply

NEW DELHI: India will respond to Pakistan���s 30 questions related to the Mumbai terror attacks by next week. Union home minister P Chidambaram on Friday said the ministry of home affairs would be ready with the answers to Pakistan���s 30 queries by next week, though ���many of the answers are contained in the chargesheet filed by the Mumbai police which is a public document.���

The replies formulated by the MHA would be passed on the ministry of external affairs which will convey the same to Pakistan through official channels.

Pakistan had said that it was waiting for a ���timely������ response as Pakistani suspects can be remanded to the custody of investigation agencies for a maximum of 30 days. Pakistan had sent the 30 questions to India on February 12, the same day that the Pakistani suspects were arrested.

According to Mr Chidambaram, the dossier sent earlier to Pakistan was an irrefutable document, solid on facts and sound in analysis.

���After prevaricating for several weeks, Pakistan was forced to admit that its territory was used to plot and carry out the terrorist attacks. That admission was a signal victory for the UPA government���s cerebral foreign policy and coercive diplomacy.���

Meanwhile, Mr Chidambaram talking about the role of Pakistani Army officer named in the Mumbai chargesheet said the issue was still under investigation.

He said the government was studying the chargesheet and may, in due course, seek information from Pakistan as well. ���We will see if we need to put some questions to Pakistan regarding its own investigation as we go along.���