'No hard evidence in Mumbai dossier'

'No hard evidence in Mumbai dossier'
Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:07:06 GMT


Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani says the dossier provided by India on the Mumbai attacks constitutes 'information' and not evidence.

"All that has been received formally from India is some information. I say information because these are not the evidence. This needs to be carefully examined," he told lawmakers in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, in Islamabad on Tuesday.

India has provided Pakistan data from satellite phones used by the attackers and what it describes as the confession of a surviving gunman, part of a dossier of evidence.

"Serious, sustained and pragmatic cooperation is the way forward. The information provided by India on January 5, 2009, has been sent to the Ministry of Interior for necessary inquiry in accordance with the law," Press Trust of India quoted him as saying.

He also referred to Pakistan's proposal for conducting a joint investigation with India into the incident. "India has, however, not responded to our proposal. We hope they will see merit in it and accept a joint inquiry," Gilani added.

He also ruled out handing over any Pakistani national found to be linked to the Mumbai attacks to India or any other country, saying such suspects will be tried in the country according to Pakistani laws.

India, the US, and Britain hold a Pakistan based militant group named Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) responsible for the attacks in which at least 179 people, including nine militants who carried out the terror spree, were killed.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has also rejected allegations that his government was involved in the attacks and has floated the idea of 'non-state actors' being involved.

JR/HGL