Pakistan asks India to share Mumbai evidence

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan asked India to share information and evidence on the Mumbai terrorist attacks, saying its probe into the incident could not proceed unless there is "sustained and pragmatic cooperation" between the two countries.

Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said India had so far not shared any information or evidence on the attacks despite requests from Pakistan.

"Any criminal investigation proceeds from the scene of crime to the criminal...Pakistan has repeatedly underscored the need for serious, sustained and pragmatic cooperation between Pakistan and India to combat terrorism in either country," Qureshi said in a statement aired live on state-run PTV late on Thursday night.

He said Pakistan had also proposed the establishment of a joint commission and the launching of a joint investigation "in an earnest effort to move forward in an area which equally concerns both Pakistan and India".



"However, our own investigations cannot proceed beyond a certain point without provision of credible information and evidence pertaining to Mumbai attacks. Despite our requests, no evidence or information has been shared with the government by India so far," Qureshi said.

Pakistan had also initiated the process to comply with the listing of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, "certain other trusts as well as individuals" as terrorists and terror groups by a sanctions committee of the UN Security Council. These entities and individuals include the Lashker-e-Taiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, he said.

Qureshi spoke hours after the Pakistan government banned the Jamaat, put its chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed under house arrest and sealed several offices of the group across the country.

Referring to the "spate of allegations concerning the involvement of certain individuals of Pakistani origin in Mumbai terrorist attacks", Qureshi said the government had "already initiated investigations on its own".

"It is the firm conviction of Pakistan not to allow its territory to be used for any act of terrorism. Pakistan itself has been a victim of terrorism," he said.

India has blamed the LeT and its front organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa for planning and carrying out the Mumbai attacks that killed over 180 people.

Pakistan has pledged to act against any of its nationals found to be involved in the attacks. On Sunday, Pakistan launched a crackdown on the LeT and arrested over 20 of its members, including Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai attacks.