By IANS,
Islamabad : Pakistan’s spy chief Friday met Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani amidst fingers increasingly being pointed at the Inter-Services Agency (ISI) for its alleged role in the Mumbai terror attacks.
“DG (director general) ISI briefed the prime minister on the current security situation,” an official here said tersely.
The meeting comes a day after a highly placed intelligence source in New Delhi said India was convinced “without a shadow of doubt” about the ISI’s involvement in the Mumbai attacks and was readying to present to Islamabad “a list of ISI handlers” who allegedly masterminded the terror strikes.
“We are one hundred percent convinced that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) is involved in the Mumbai attacks,” a highly placed intelligence source told IANS Thursday.
“We know these attacks could not have been staged by an isolated militant group. There is not a shadow of doubt about that,” the source added.
“We are zeroing in on the names of these ISI handlers and will present a fool-proof case (to Pakistan) soon,” the source added.
The Mumbai attacks, which began Nov 26 and continued on for over 60 hours, claimed 172 lives and left 248 injured.
Indian intelligence agencies are preparing a list of ISI handlers of the perpetrators of the Mumbai massacre with the help of US intelligence, which is also convinced about the ISI’s role, the source said.
Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist who was overpowered arrested during the Mumbai terror strikes, has in his interrogation revealed that he was trained in at least four camps in Pakistan and met LeT leader Mohammad Hafeez Saeed.
Saeed is among the fugitives, including underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit’s chief Masood Azhar, whom New Delhi wants extradited from Pakistan.
In response, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari offered a joint investigation team, which has been cold-shouldered by India. Subsequently, Zardari rejected the demand for handing over of fugitives and asked India to produce evidence so that they could be prosecuted in Pakistani courts.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday she expected a “robust” response from Islamabad to the Mumbai attacks.
“The global threat of extremism and terrorism has to be met by all states, taking a very tough and hard line, and so that is what I am going to discuss,” Rice told reporters while flying to Islamabad after a day’s visit to New Delhi.