WORLD> Asia-Pacific
'Pakistan agencies linked to attack'
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-07 11:59

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accused Pakistan yesterday of acting irresponsibly, saying November's Mumbai attacks must have had support from some of its nuclear-armed neighbor's official agencies.

Singh's comments were the latest in almost daily government criticism of Pakistan, and a sign that New Delhi has become increasingly frustrated at what it sees as Islamabad's slowness at identifying and arresting the attack's planners.

India blames Pakistan militants for the coordinated strikes in November by 10 gunmen that killed 179 people and have revived tension between two nations that have fought three wars since 1947. Pakistan denies any involvement by state agencies.

Singh said investigations, including by intelligence agencies from some of the foreign countries whose nationals were killed in the attack, had also suggested official complicity.

"There is enough evidence to show that, given the sophistication and military precision of the attack, it must have had the support of some official agencies in Pakistan," he said.

India sent evidence on Monday to Pakistan that it said linked Pakistani militants to the attacks, including data from satellite phones and what it describes as the confession of a surviving attacker.

"India has given us some material, we are examining it," Shahid Malik, the Pakistan High Commissioner, told reporters in New Delhi. "There is no question of rejection or otherwise."

The Pakistani government, which condemned the attacks and blamed them on "non-state actors", again urged cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

"We need to grow out of the blame game mode," said Information Minister Sherry Rehman. "Scoring points like this will only move us further away from focusing on the very real and present danger of regional and global terrorism."

"It is our firm resolve to ensure that non-state actors do not use Pakistani soil to launch terrorist attacks anywhere in the world," she said.

Singh wants international pressure to persuade Pakistan to dismantle what New Delhi says are terrorist training camps on Pakistani territory and extradite 40 suspects.

India has said it suspects that the powerful Pakistan military spy agency ISI gave some support to the attack, and says it is frustrated by Pakistani denials.