US shares credible information with Pak on Lakhvi: official

Washington, March 17: The US has said it shared "credible evidence" with Pakistan on LeT operations commander Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi's involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, days after it reminded the country its commitment to bring the perpetrators of the horrific attack to justice.

"The US has provided credible evidence (on Lakhvi) to Pakistan," a senior US official told PTI. The official refused to give any further details and said this was an ongoing legal matter.

But, the information provided by the US to Pakistan on Lakhvi and others related to the Mumbai terrorist attack is credible, the official said.

The detailed information shared by US on individuals related to the Mumbai terrorist attack is based on the interrogation of David Headley, who is currently serving jail sentence for his involvement in the attack, and the information gained from him.

Various security agencies and intelligence wings of the US have done their own investigation with regard to the Mumbai terrorist attack. Earlier, the US had said there was a strong counter- terrorism cooperation with Pakistan and it hoped that Pakistan would follow through its commitment on bringing to justice the perpetrators of the attacks.

Information shared by US was obtained from David Headley

"The government of Pakistan has pledged its cooperation in bringing the perpetrators - financiers, and sponsors of the Mumbai terrorist attacks to justice and we urge Pakistan to follow through on that commitment," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki had said, adding that Pakistan is a critical partner in fight against terrorism.

Lakhvi and six others - Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum - have been charged with planning and executing the Mumbai attack in November, 2008, that claimed 166 lives.

55-year-old Lakhvi, believed to be a close relative of LeT founder and Jamat-Ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, was arrested in December 2008 and was indicted along with the six others on November 25, 2009 in connection with the 26/11 attacks case.

The trial has been underway since 2009. He has been detained at Adiala jail for the last five years or so.

PTI