With the pressure mounting from all corners, Pakistan today proposed setting up of a joint investigation mechanism with India to probe the lethal terror strikes in Mumbai. “Let there be a joint commission to evaluate the available evidence in order to take the requisite action,” said the foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a statement to the media here on Tuesday.
The remarks came minutes before the all parties’ conference (APC) on national security convened by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
The proposal for a joint probe was viewed as an alternative to Gilani's earlier commitment to the Indian premier Manmohan Singh for dispatching the ISI chief. The government received lot of flak for what was termed as a tame capitulation to the bullying by India and had to backtrack within hours under pressure from the army. The issue was likely to kick up a storm in the APC and the government has tried to preempt it through this offer to India, said sources.
Meanwhile, agency reports said Pakistan was ready to “frame a response” to New Delhi's demand to hand over LeT chief Hafiz Mohammad and other fugitives.
“We have to look at it formally and once we receive the list of terrorists we will frame a response to that,” Pakistan information minister Sherry Rehman told reporters here. India's list includes terrorists like Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Mohammad and Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar besides Dawood Ibrahim, who are based in that country and are suspected to be behind terror attacks in India.
Officials said Pakistan is willing to send a team to India to extend all possible cooperation in Mumbai terror probe. The joint mechanism would be acceptable to the army as well.
Qureshi said terrorism is the biggest challenge being currently faced by the world. “Pakistan and India are also its victims and must combine their efforts to
combat it. It’s a common enemy. We need to devise a joint strategy to deal with the situation,” he said.
“We have asked India to tell us how can we help them and we will help,” said the minister adding that Pakistan wants better relations with India for which the ongoing process of composite dialogue must continue.
Referring to the APC, Qureshi said: “We have invited country’s
political leadership for guidance in devising a national strategy on
the prevailing situation.” Earlier, he held a meeting with 36 foreign diplomats and gave them a detailed briefing on the current situation in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
