Islamabad, April 22
Pakistan’s Interior Minister A Rehman Malik has said the government now has enough evidence to convict the culprits behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks and in an effort to speed up the trial, a judicial commission will soon be sent to India to get certified copies of the evidence relating to the case. The Pakistan government has also decided to reduce the number of prosecution witnesses to be examined by the court by almost a half, from 105 to around 60, so that the trial can conclude quickly.

Time for hockey diplomacy Now ! After cricket diplomacy between India and Pakistan, it is now hockey’s turn. Pakistan’s Interior Minister A Rehman said he would be sending a proposal to India to allow their respective national hockey teams to play each other as part of a new tournament that would have matches held in both countries. n Warns that the “Taliban was spreading its tentacles”  in India n To speed up the trial, a judicial commission will soon be sent to India n Expresses helplessness in “fast-tracking” the case saying the judicial process in Pakistan was similar to  that in India n Denies that the ISI or other wings of the government were involved in  masterminding the Mumbai attacks

Speaking to a group of visiting Indian journalists that included Raj Chengappa, Editor-in-Chief, The Tribune Group of Newspapers, here today, Malik expressed his helplessness in “fast-tracking” the case saying the judicial process in Pakistan was similar to that in India and the independence of the judiciary had to be respected.

“As far as we are concerned, we have done our best and the court process is not in our hands,” Malik said. He welcomed the fact that India, in the meeting of the Home Secretaries of the two countries last month, had agreed to permit a Pakistan judicial commission to come to India and get certified copies of the evidence available there on the 26/11 case.

Malik categorically denied that the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence agency, or other wings of the government were involved in either masterminding the Mumbai attacks or assisting the perpetrators of it, as had been alleged recently by key accused David Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana facing trial for the crime in the US.

Malik pointed out: “They have given no substantive evidence to prove their claims — why should we trust statements given by the accused?” He added: “I can make a categorical commitment that the ISI was not involved and the masterminds of the Mumbai attacks were enemies of both India and Pakistan who wanted to bring us both to war.” He said the recent findings by the Indian authorities investigating the 2007 Samjhauta blast had vindicated Pakistan’s stand that the ISI was not involved as had earlier been alleged.

Malik described the outcome of the recent meeting of the Home Secretaries of the two countries as positive and saw it as “a good omen” and a sign of how relations between India and Pakistan were improving. He said a senior official from the India’s Union Home Ministry would soon be visiting Pakistan to discuss making visas more liberal, apart from establishing hotlines between key officials of the two countries for sharing information on suspicious marine traffic.

He said he was taking a liberal view and would soon be freeing around 200 Indian fishermen and others accused of petty crimes, including border crossings. At present, these people were holed up as undertrials in various Pakistan jails.

Malik also revealed that during the talks, Pakistan had warned that the “Taliban was spreading its tentacles” in India and that the Indian government should view the threat seriously. He said both Pakistan and India now faced a threat from the Taliban and should cooperate in tackling it.

About bringing down the level of violence in Pakistan, Malik said his government had adopted a 3-D policy - Development, Deterrence and Dialogue - to tackle the rising wave of extremism. He claimed the policy was yielding results and there had been a visible decline in bomb blasts and attacks in Pakistan in recent months.