India should not rubbish Pak's request for more evidence: Paper

Islamabad, Feb. 12 (ANI): Indian leadership should not rubbish Pakistan's interest in seeking more evidence on the November 2008 terror attacks on Mumbai, as this would not facilitate the ongoing legal processes, the Dawn opines.

Pakistan is preparing for the phase two of the response to the Mumbai attacks. In phase one, India and the international community demanded that Pakistan track down any local links of the attacks and shut down the terror network within the nation.

Now, it is the turn for prosecuting Mumbai suspects and facilitating the complete dismantling of the 'Jamaat-ud-Dawa', the Dawn opines.

Pakistan may file criminal cases in local courts against a number of suspects and seek India's cooperation in providing evidences, which can withstand scrutiny in a court of law.

In South Asia, where the judicial process is often tainted, it is easy to forget that a conviction in a court of law is the only just way for a society to punish its criminals.

Once the issue is in the hands of lawyers and judges, nothing short of full cooperation between the two states will ensure convictions that will not be overturned on appeal.

From the legal limbo of A Q Khan's case, Islamabad can learn that the repercussions of a half-baked attempt to apply the law can prove to be costly.

Meanwhile, the Indian government, which caught Ajmal Kasab red-handed, would do well to remember that it still only has the lone surviving gunman in judicial custody.

However, prosecution of the Mumbai suspects will only bring partial closure to the Mumbai issue. The second half is political and will depend on Pakistan's commitment to shutting down militant networks that operate here.

This is where the issue becomes murkier. The Pakistan government has locked some offices of the Jamaatud Dawa and curbed the movement of a few of its leaders but it is yet to dismantle such organizations completely.

Indeed, on Kashmir Day members of the erstwhile Jamaat-ud-Dawa gathered under the banner of a new organization.

This must not be allowed to happen. A selective response to the threat from militants will only embolden them, and complicate regional relationships. (ANI)