Pak not probing official agencies to 26/11

Contending that overwhelming evidence suggests involvement of Pakistan's official agencies in the Mumbai attacks, India has said Islamabad is neither pursuing this angle nor allowing the FBI to do so.

Contending that "overwhelming" evidence suggests involvement of Pakistan's official agencies in the Mumbai attacks, India has said Islamabad is neither pursuing this angle nor allowing the FBI to do so.

Home Minister P Chidambaram

Home Minister P Chidambaram pointed out that Pakistan has not shared any information it may have got from interrogation of people detained in that country in connection with 26/11.

He underlined that India will "apply pressure" and use "coercive diplomacy" to ensure that perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks are brought to justice. "... Given the overwhelming evidence that we have, I am entitled to presume that official agencies (of Pakistan) were involved (in the Mumbai attacks)," Chidambaram said in a television.

He said that presumption can be "rebutted only if evidence to the contrary is available in the investigation." Asked whether the evidence that points finger towards official agencies of Pakistan is "conclusive or very suggestive", the Home Minister said, "That I cannot say now. That will require investigation on Pakistan soil.

"It will require going to the controllers, the handlers and then interrogating them and finding out that whether they had masters of their own. That access has not been given to us."

When referred to the name of some Colonel Saddatullah, suspected to be an officer of Pakistan army, cropping up in India's investigation into the Mumbai attacks, Chidambaram said, "u2026 All that we know is that there is a name that appears in the conversation. So, we need to go there to investigate."

He added, "Pakistan has not allowed India to investigate. Pakistan has not given the FBI the right to investigate.... FBI asked (for) access that has been denied. And if Pakistan is also unwilling to investigate, now where do we go from here?"

Chidambaram agreed that the involvement of Pakistan's official agencies would be established if it is proved that Col Saddatullah is a member of Special Communications Organisation which has got close links with Pakistan Army's Corps of Signals.

Asked whether the links of Pakistani official agencies with the Mumbai attacks could be established, he said, "I don't know, unless if someone is allowed to investigate".

Talking about the necessity to probe, he questioned why Pakistan doesn't let the FBI, which is "completely neutral" to investigate. Queried whether Pakistan has made available any information that it has got from interrogation of the people detained there, he said "none so far... I have not seen any material given by Pakistan about their investigation."