ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: Pakistani authorities “must have had” a hand in the deadly Mumbai siege, India’s prime minister said yesterday, stopping just short of directly accusing Islamabad of aiding the gunmen.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh repeated India’s allegations that the attack was carried out by the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba. But in his most forceful speech since the November attacks, he also said “there is enough evidence to show that, given the sophistication and military precision of the attack, it must have had the support of some official agencies in Pakistan.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a strong statement in response, accusing its nuclear-armed rival of embarking on an unacceptable “propaganda offensive” and calling such an approach “fraught with grave risks.” “The government of Pakistan emphatically rejects the unfortunate allegations leveled against Pakistan by the prime minister of India in New Delhi today,” the statement said.
“Instead of responding positively to Pakistan’s offer of cooperation and constructive proposals, India has chosen to embark on a propaganda offensive. It will not only ratchet up tensions but occlude facts and destroy all prospects of serious and objective investigations into the Mumbai attacks.”
It said charges that state agencies were involved in the attacks were “unwarranted and unacceptable.” “India must refrain from hostile propaganda, and must not whip up tensions,” said a Foreign Ministry statement.
Pakistan has decided to conduct its own probe. According to a President House official this was decided yesterday during a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
— With input from Azhar Masood
