Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi, Jan 05: India on Monday handed over the dossier of evidence to Pakistan proving the involvement of elements in that country in the Mumbai carnage. Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said that not only was the conspiracy behind the attacks hatched in the neighbouring country but it was hard to believe that no one in the administration was aware about it.
Addressing the media here, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said that now that India had provided evidence, Pakistan should extend all its assistance to bring the perpetrators to Indian justice.
Observing that the investigation into the serial
terror attacks in Mumbai were not over, the Foreign Secretary
said while the crime was committed in India, the conspiracy
was hatched in Pakistan.
"Hence we have requested Pakistan to fulfil her
commitments to us," he said.
’Act now’
“India has asked Pakistan to investigate the evidence
material given to it on the Mumbai terror attacks and extend
legal assistance so that the perpetrators could be brought to
justice,” Menon said.
Menon pointed out that the investigation and the evidence it produced has led India to believe that the kind of operation undertaken in Mumbai couldn’t have been planned without someone being in the know.
“Conspiracy behind the crime (in Mumbai) was hatched in
Pakistan and hence India has requested Pakistan to fulfil its
commitments,” Menon said.
’Not interested in mechanisms’
India hopes that Pakistan will not "repeat the previous
pattern" of not cooperating when India shared evidence
regarding the attack on Indian Embassy in Kabul, Menon said.
”We don’t want any mechanisms. There are ample mechanisms under SAARC etc. We want actions, not words,” he said.
Legal assistance from Pakistan extends up to and
includes extradition (of perpetrators of Mumbai attacks), he said on being asked if India had asked Pakistan to hand-over the accused to it.
He also rubbished the ‘non-state-actors theory.
Ban on JuD ineffective
India also alleged that the ban on Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the parent organisation of LeT- was not working. “Their website is still being updated. We have not been told officially that action is being taken against terror organisations. India is not impressed,” Menon emphasised.
He also pointed out that banning of terror organisations had taken ion the past, but to no avail.
Our goals are clear. We want the perpetrators to be
brought to Indian justice, he added.
Lobbying world-over
He also revealed that India was actively lobbying with all friendly countries around the world so that concrete action is taken against terrorists in Pakistan.
“We have begun the process of briefing foreign countries. Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee has written to his counterparts around the world about the evidence. We have today held special briefings for the ambassadors of those countries whose nationals were killed in Mumbai,” he said.
He informed that India had shared the evidence with China.
”This is a threat to the international community and not India”, that is why we are putting forth the evidence, Menon added.