Mumbai attack beyond Indo-Pak ties

The terrorist attack in Mumbai should not be looked at through the prism of India-Pakistan relations, says India's Pranab Mukherjee. 

In an interview with Dubai's daily Khaleej Times the Indian external affairs minister said on Thursday that terrorism was a global menace and terrorists had no allegiance to a particular country or doctrine. It is the biggest threat to world peace and security and must be "countered firmly by the entire international community". 

Mukherjee said he doubts the sincerity of the present Pakistani government to combat terrorism, citing a recent agreement with an extremist group. He said there is a change of tactics in the Pakistan government. The banned groups "are not just tolerated, but even allowed to flourish...can we take it as an unambiguous position against terrorism?" asked Mukherjee. 

Islamabad was asked to deliver on its commitment to prevent terrorism directed at India from its territory. But this has not led to any tangible result. He said Pakistan solemnly committed to India "on January 6, 2004 and on September 24, 2008, at the highest level", and it is clear that Pakistan has not kept its word. "It is the sovereign duty of Pakistan to act against those on its territory who commit terrorist acts elsewhere." 

Mukherjee elsewhere stressed that India is ready to share whatever it can in response to Pakistan's request for further information and material relating to the investigation of Mumbai terrorist attack. However, he said, the process should not be allowed to "become an end in itself". 

He said that India was aware of the "internal complexities" of Pakistan but it cannot bear "the brunt of their internal situation". But all the same, he affirmed India's support for the people of Pakistan, saying India wants the democratic government of Pakistan to succeed.

India believes in Zardari sincerity

India says the Pakistani president is sincere in eliminating the menace of terrorism from his country in the wake of the Mumbai raids. 

"I would like to say I believe in his (Asif Ali Zardari's) sincerity because he himself is a victim of a terror attack," Foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee said Saturday in an allusion to the assassination of the former Premier Benazir Bhutto -- Zardari's wife -- in a suicide attack during an election campaign in December 2007. 

The Indian minister demanded Zardari's words to be followed with action, the Press Trust of India reported. 

Tensions have run high between the two nuclear-armed countries following last year's terror attacks on the Indian financial hub, in which 179 people were killed. 

"I believe he (Zardari) has a desire to fight against terrorism," Mukherjee said. "My belief is not adequate. It must be backed by action taken by the government and authorities of Pakistan." 

New Delhi has been relentless in piling pressure on Islamabad to close down training camps for militant groups along border with disputed region of Kashmir. 

Indian security officials have accused Islamabad's military and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of involvement in the carnage. 

Earlier this month following an internal investigation, Pakistan's Interior Ministry admitted for the first time that the raids were partly hatched on Pakistani soil. 

Islamabad, however, has denied any involvement, saying it is building a case against Pakistani "non-state actors" accused of involvement in the raids.

Abandoned boats put Mumbai on alert

India's security forces are put on high alert after a number of abandoned boats were found off the Mumbai coast, officials say. "We received reports this afternoon that some unidentified boats were spotted around 15 to 20 nautical miles off south-west Mumbai. Navy and Coast Guard vessels are searching the area," a Ministry of Defense spokesperson told reporters in Mumbai on Sunday. The spokesperson later said that the boats were part of an army expedition and there was no cause for any concern, according to the Press Trust of India . The Mumbai police and security forces beefed up security following the incident. "Although there is no confirmation as yet on the unidentified vessels, we are taking no chances and have alerted police personnel," a Mumbai senior police official said. Indian and Pakistani officials believe that last year's attacks on the Indian port city of Mumbai were carried out by sea route. The attackers left from Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on a boat to target Mumbai, another port city in India, according to Pakistan's interior ministry. India has stepped up sea security measures following last years November attack on its financial hub.

'CIA played back door diplomacy over Mumbai'

US has orchestrated back-channel intelligence exchanges between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, a report says. 

The Washington Post on Monday said that CIA's role as a mediator between India and Pakistan was a main factor in Islamabad's decision to accept some responsibility over the attacks and file charges against the perpetrators. 

The exchanges, which began days after the deadly assault in late November, gradually helped the two sides overcome mutual suspicions, the report said. 

Based on the report, Indian and Pakistani intelligence agencies also separately shared their findings with the CIA. 

The intelligence included sophisticated communication intercepts and evidence detailing how the gunmen and their handlers planned their three-day killing spree in the Indian commercial hub, according to the report. 

The exchange of information and security arrangements between the three countries is ongoing, but it is unknown whether it will continue after the Mumbai case is settled. 

The report comes after Islamabad admitted the attacks were partly planned on its soil and said that suspects it had arrested could be prosecuted in Pakistani courts. 

Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have deteriorated ever since 10 gunmen killed 179 people on November last year in India's financial hub. 

New Delhi has blamed banned Pakistan-based militants for the raids alleging that the attackers were 'clients and creations' of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). 

Islamabad, however, has denied any involvement by Pakistani state agencies and says it is building a case against Pakistanis accused of involvement in the raids.