Pak refuses to change its tune, says 'dossier' provided by India "insufficient proof"

Islamabad, Jan.6 (ANI): Pakistan has been beating the drum about insufficient evidence regarding its complexity in the Mumbai attacks, and has once again rejected the proof provided by India terming it as 'insufficient'.

Pakistan has reportedly told the US that the evidence provided by India is insufficient and no action can be based upon it.

"India's dossier contained nothing new and it was compilation of allegations against Pakistan that had already appeared in Indian media," the Nation quoted a Pakistan official, as saying.

Questioning the authenticity of Kasab's confession, Pakistan said: "The proof given by India are 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 Pak official said.

Pak Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir met Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Satya Pal and told him about Pakistan's stand on the issue.

The evidence provided to Pakistan by India consisted of the statement of confession by Ajmal Kasab who is under police custody, and a cellphone conversation. It has also alleged that the arms and other articles recovered from Ajmal Kasab and other people bear the inscription "Made in Pakistan".

The Indian 'dossier' provided to Pakistan contains the 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.

Instead of acting on the evidence provided Pakistan is now trying to divert the international attention from the issue, by claiming that it too has prepared a dossier that contains evidence on Indian involvement in acts of terror in tribal areas and Balochistan, with a 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," the news paper quoted a senior Pak official, as saying.

Meanwhile, India has increased efforts to garner international support over the issue.

External Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that he had 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.

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. (ANI)