 India pointed a finger on Friday at "elements" linked with Pakistan for the attacks in Mumbai, raising the prospect of a breakdown in the nuclear-armed rivals' peace efforts. After Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Thursday statement laying responsibility on groups based in India's neighbours, usually an allusion to Pakistan, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee was more explicit in implicating the neighbouring country on Friday. "Preliminary evidence, prima facie evidence, indicates elements with links to Pakistan are involved," Mukherjee told a news conference. However, "Proof cannot be disclosed at this time," he stressed. He urged Pakistan to dismantle the infrastructure that supports militants.
| Indian Home Minister Jaiprakash Jaiswal said a captured gunman had been identified as a Pakistani. However, he did not present any evidence to support the claim. |
Indian Home Minister Jaiprakash Jaiswal said a captured gunman had been identified as a Pakistani. However, he did not present any evidence to support the claim. APP reported Mukherjee as saying the Mumbai attacks made it impossible to leap forward in bilateral relations. An official statement said, "Pranab Mukherjee spoke this evening to the Foreign Minister of Pakistan Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi to convey the hope that the government of Pakistan will take immediate action with regard to the terrorist attacks on Mumbai. "He conveyed that while the government of Pakistan has said that it wants a leap forward in our bilateral relations, outrages like the attack on our embassy in Kabul and now the attack on Mumbai is intended to make this impossible. |