India sends Pak more info on 26/11 attacks

With the general elections over and the Congress back in the saddle, the government has sent more information on last November’s carnage in Mumbai to Pakistan, signalling that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) will continue to demand action on the terror probe from Islamabad.

This is the third dossier India has handed over to Pakistan and it contains, among other things, the certified DNA report of the lone terrorist captured alive, Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, who is on trial in Mumbai.

India had on March 13 sent the DNA reports of the 10 terrorists allegedly involved in the attack. But two of the reports were of the same person and Ajmal’s DNA report was missing. India had been left red-faced over this development. This time around, care has been taken to guard against such snafus.

The opposition BJP had charged the UPA with going “soft on terror”. With a sweeping mandate for the Congress, the government will now get down to seriously pursuing the 26/11 terrorists and showing that it can deliver.

“The external affairs ministry today handed over to the Pakistan high commission additional information and details related to the Mumbai terror attack sought by Pakistan,” a statement released by the ministry on Wednesday said.

Fifteen booklets comprising about 1,500 words on the matter contain the information Pakistan has sought. Incidentally, the 15 booklets are in Marathi and Hindi, and Pakistan would need a translator. “So what do you expect we do?” a senior Indian official asked in irritation. “The statements and replies cannot be in Urdu, after all.”

Pakistan had demanded copies of some of the statements and accounts provided by the police as evidence against Ajmal in the trial. New Delhi is hoping that with the clarification and additional information provided, Pakistan will cooperate in tracking down and punishing the 26/11 terrorists.

But few are banking on Pakistan’s sincerity. “There will be more queries and more excuses,” said one official on the condition of anonymity. “We have already provided them sufficient information and they could have acted (on it) if they were sincere. We expect Islamabad to drag this on and on.”

Despite Pakistan’s insistence that the stalled peace talks are put on track as soon as possible, India has made it clear that there will be no forward movement unless Islamabad delivers on its assurances to track down and punish the perpetrators of the terror attack.