By IINA,
Islamabad : Pakistan sought to put some of the pressure over the Mumbai bloodshed on India, demanding that its neighbor hand over “concrete evidence” against Pakistani citizens and groups allegedly involved in the terror attack. Pakistani officials made the demand yesterday after saying for days that they need evidence to try suspects, but there has been no sign India would provide any of its findings soon.
The squabble epitomizes the distrust between the nuclear-armed countries, which have fought three wars in six decades. But leaders of both nations also have political problems from the assault that killed 164 people in India’s financial capital.
Pakistan’s government must maintain the support of a public easily angered by Indian complaints, yet it faces rising global concern about Al Qaida, Taliban and other Islamic militants operating on Pakistani soil. It also needs evidence to keep courts from freeing suspects. India is trying to calm a public outraged by the Mumbai attack and alleged Pakistani complicity, and its investigators are dealing with shooting scenes scattered across the city. Officials also may worry that sharing evidence could compromise some intelligence methods. “There’s a lack of trust and confidence in each other, in spite of saying that there’s a common threat that both of us face,” said Indian security analyst Ashok Mehta. “There’s a conspicuous lack of confidence in sharing intelligence.”
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said his government hasn’t seen any information on the attack except for what has been reported by news media. That isn’t sufficient for Pakistan to prosecute suspects, he said. “India needs to provide concrete evidence for these investigations to move forward,” Qureshi said. “We do not share evidence through the media. There are diplomatic channels for that.”