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New Delhi: India
Wednesday asserted that the interrogation of 26/11 plotter Abu Jindal Hamza had "confirmed" that the terror attack was controlled
from Pakistan, even as the foreign secretaries of the two
countries held talks on peace and Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to
keep the dialogue process on track.
India, however, did not hand over a dossier on Abu Jindal to
Pakistan at the talks as it was felt that doing so at this stage
will hinder the probe.
Assisted by senior officials, Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan
Mathai and his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani held two
sessions of delegation-level talks and decided to continue their
dialogue Thursday.
"The foreign secretaries, along with their respective delegations,
have had two full sessions of detailed discussions covering all
aspects of the agenda under the items peace and security as well
as Jammu and Kashmir," Syed Akbaruddin, India's external affairs
ministry spokesperson, told reporters here.
The talks started at 10.30 a.m. and continued over a brief working
lunch. The spokesperson declined to reveal any details of the
talks except for saying that a joint statement will be issued at
the end of the two-day talks Thursday.
Jilani will also call on External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna
before leaving for Islamabad Friday.
In the opening round of talks, the two sides reviewed the dialogue
process and focused on ways to bolster peace and security,
including confidence-building measures (CBMs) aimed at easing
trade and travel between the two countries. The two sides also
decided to fast-track implementation of CBMs related to Jammu and
Kashmir and press for an early resolution of the Kashmir issue,
informed sources said.
The two nuclear-armed neighbours also reviewed the atomic CBMs
aimed at preventing nuclear accidents and war.
The agenda for the talks had been fixed well in advance, but the
disclosures made by Jindal, alias Zabiuddin Ansari, an Indian
26/11 plotter with suspected links to Pakistani militants and
Pakistani state actors, has put the focus again on Pakistan's link
to the Mumbai terror spree.
India is understood to have pressed for faster justice for the
victims of the Mumbai terror carnage and drew the Pakistani side's
attention to the disclosures made by Abu Jindal that established a
link between 26/11 and Pakistani state agencies.
However, no dossier on Jindal was shared as the the Indian home
ministry felt that it was premature to do so when the probe was
still on.
"We are not handing over a dossier but we have briefed the foreign
secretary on information obtained during Jindal's interrogation.
If he wishes, he can share it with his Pakistani counterpart,"
Home Minister P. Chidambaram told reporters even as the two
foreign secretaries were engaged in talks.
While the details of the talks are yet to become clear,
Chidambaram upped the pressure on Islamabad about the disclosures
made by Jindal and asserted that it has confirmed that the terror
attack was controlled from Pakistan.
"We now know how the control room functioned. So I think the dots
are being connected. It is no longer possible for anyone to deny
that the incident happened in Mumbai but the control of the
incident, before and during the incident was in Pakistan,"
Chidambaram said.
Jindal, who hails from Beed in Maharashtra, has confessed to being
amongst those directing the 10 Pakistani terrorists who docked in
Mumbai on the night of Nov 26, 2008, sources in the investigation
team have said.
He was arrested at the airport in Delhi June 21 after his
deportation from Saudi Arabia.
Jindal is being interrogated by several investigating teams,
including the Intelligence Bureau, Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist
Squad and a special Delhi Police team.
Jindal's passport shows his present and permanent address in
Pakistan and his visa for Saudi Arabia had been also issued on the
Pakistani passport. Islamabad has been in denial, calling Jindal's
passport fake.
The Indian side is understood to have asked Pakistan to find out
how the Pakistani passport and Pakistan's domestic identity cards
were issued to Jundal in the name of Riyasat Ali.
India also renewed its demand for providing voice samples of key
26/11 accused, including LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and LeT
operational commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
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