New Delhi
13 March 2009
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| An Indian soldier takes cover as the Taj Mahal hotel burns during gun battle between Indian military and militants inside the hotel in Mumbai, November 2008 |
India has given Pakistan new information about last year's terrorist siege of Mumbai. A Pakistani diplomat says the dossier will help move forward the investigation into the attack, which left dead more than 160 people at two hotels and other sites which were hit.
India has begun handing over additional documentation requested by Pakistan related to last November's terrorist attack on Mumbai. Pakistan had asked India to reply to 30 specific questions after New Delhi gave Islamabad in January a dossier about the terrorists and their attack on India's commercial capital. That led to Pakistan acknowledging the attack was partly planned on its soil but said it needed additional answers.
India's foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee, says the answers are comprehensive and further information will be in Islamabad shortly.
"The annexes, which contain the details of the information, which they sought for, runs through hundreds of pages," he said. "And they wanted it to have before the 16th [of March]. We'll be ready to give it to them well before that."
India's home minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, says his government now expects Islamabad to move forward quickly with its investigation and hand over suspects to New Delhi for prosecution or carry out justice and punishment in Pakistan.
Pakistani high commissioner to India, Shahid Malik, confirms receipt of the requested answers.
"It would be helpful to us in carrying forward the investigations that are under way in Pakistan," he said.
Indian media reports say the materials include recording of telephone conversations between the attackers and their handlers, as well as forensic materials, such as DNA samples and fingerprints.
India blames the 60-hour attack on the outlawed terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, believed to have been created by Pakistani intelligence agencies to fight Indian rule in the divided Kashmir region.
Ten heavily-armed gunmen, who India has identified as Pakistani nationals, went on a 60-hour rampage in Mumbai, laying siege to a pair of luxury hotels, a Jewish center and a major railway station.
Indian commandos killed nine attackers. The man identified as the lone surviving terrorist is in custody and has been charged by Indian authorities.