Malik asks India to allow judicial team to interview officials

From Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Jun 9 (PTI) Pakistan Thursday said that it
has put the trial of seven Mumbai attacks suspects on the fast
track and any delay in proceedings is due to India's failure
to decide on a request to allow a judicial commission to
interview key officials there.
In a response to Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram's
remarks Wednesday that confidence between the two countries
cannot be restored till Pakistan takes action against the
"real culprits" behind the Mumbai incident, Interior Minister
Rehman Malik indicated that New Delhi should provide more
evidence to enable Islamabad to act against other suspects.
"As far apprehending those responsible for the attacks
is concerned, seven accused are in jail. Their trial is being
conducted properly and we have put it on fast track," Malik
told reporters at the Karachi airport early this morning.
"The delay in that trial is not on our part because we
had a demand for a judicial commission (to visit India). Our
Interior Secretary met their Home Secretary and we spoke of
our request for the judicial commission (and we hope) India
will respond to that and allow it," he said.
Indian and American officials have said that Pakistani
authorities arrested seven persons, including Lashkar-e-Taiba
commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, largely on the basis of
information provided by India and the US.
However, their trial by an anti-terrorism court has
been marred by a series of delays for technical reasons,
diplomatic sources said. Chidambaram said India had asked Pakistan to arrest
five more suspects, including an Inter-Services Intelligence
officer identified only as Major Iqbal.
This officer was allegedly the handler of
Pakistani-American David Headley, who played a key role in
planning and conducting surveillance for the Mumbai attacks.
Malik contended that India needs to provide more proof
for Pakistan to act against individuals like Major Iqbal.
"Believe me, I don't have an Aladdin's lamp that if
someone says I should apprehend Major Iqbal, I will be able to
do it. Major Iqbal is a generic name. I had sent them 36
questions about Headley but I have not got a reply as yet," he
said.
The Interior Minister again sought to rubbish
Headley's testimony at the Chicago trial of Tahawwur Rana,
another key suspect in the Mumbai incident.
He said Headley, whose father was from Pakistan, was a
"double agent".
"I think the Indian law enforcers and authorities
realise in their hearts that he was and is a double agent. He
makes nine visits to India, so many visits to Pakistan and
Europe. Where did he get the finances from? Somebody must have
been giving it," he said.
Malik also raised India's investigation of the 2007
bombing of the Samjhauta Express cross-border train in which
42 Pakistanis were killed.
He contended that Indian "intelligence and forces"
were behind the attack though the ISI was blamed.
"Today their own (Indian)... investigators they have
proof... that the attack on the Samjhauta Express was not done
by Pakistan's ISI. I have requested that the accused should be
handed over... we will ask for the accused because they killed
Pakistanis," Malik said.
"We should not get into a blame game and jointly we
should think about taking action against these terrorists. I
have given clear indications that the Taliban want to extend
their reach to the whole region and they have made their bases
in India. We have given them some indications," he added.
Malik said he wanted to the people and authorities in
India that Pakistan is "very serious" about the trial of the
seven suspects charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks
"but you know how long does it takes in the given system".
"I assure you that, under our laws, these culprits
will not be spared. They will be brought to justice because we
mean business and we will not allow Pakistani soil to be used
by any terrorist," he said.