ID :
33075
Sun, 11/30/2008 - 06:19
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/33075
The shortlink copeid
Pak takes U-turn, not to send ISI chief to India
Islamabad, Nov 29 (PTI) Hours after agreeing to send
the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief to India to
"cooperate" in investigations into the Mumbai terror strikes,
the Pakistan government Saturday did a U-turn apparently under
pressure from the powerful army and decided to depute a senior
official of the spy agency.
The decision to backtrack was taken at a special meeting
attended by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez
Kayani that spilled well into the wee hours.
The Prime Minister later also chaired a special meeting
of his cabinet to review India's allegations of a Pakistani
link to the terrorist strikes as well as the proposal to send
an ISI representative to assist in the probe into the attacks.
Sources said the cabinet meeting also discussed bilateral
relations and the impact of the Mumbai attacks on the regional
and domestic security situation.
Gilani had Friday agreed to Prime Minister of India
Manmohan Singh's demand to fly the ISI chief to Delhi after
India suspected involvement of Pakistani elements in the
Mumbai terror attacks that left nearly 200 dead.
The government's decision to send a senior official of
counter-terrorism directorate of the ISI instead of the spy
agency's chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha had been conveyed through
diplomatic channels to India, Dawn News channel reported.
However, sources in the Indian High Commission told PTI
that the mission had not been contacted by the Pakistan
government in this regard.
Singh wanted the ISI chief to visit Delhi to put before
him information about the possible involvement of Pakistani
elements, including those belonging to militant outfit
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in the terror strikes.
Dawn News quoted sources as saying that the meeting of
the country's top civilian and military leadership had decided
to ask India through diplomatic channels to share any evidence
it had on the Mumbai attacks. The ISI official would visit
India only after this evidence is received, the sources said.
The meeting that lasted three hours also reviewed the
"serious accusations and allegations" levelled against
Pakistan by India and made it clear that Islamabad "was in no
way involved" in the attacks in Mumbai, the sources said.
Separate statements issued by the Prime Minister's House
and the Foreign Office had acknowledged that Gilani had
accepted Singh's request. The statement from the Prime
Minister's House had even said that modalities would be worked
out so that the ISI chief could visit India "at the earliest".
Before meeting Zardari, army chief Kayani held
discussions with the heads of intelligence and security
agencies for several hours to assess the situation.
Meanwhile, more details emerged in Pakistani media
Saturday about Gilani's telephone conversation with Singh
Friday and the latter's request to send the ISI chief to
India.
Gilani told The News daily that Singh had told him that
"some Pakistani elements had sent the weapons used in the
Mumbai terrorist attacks from Karachi". The daily quoted
Gilani as saying that Singh told him that the ISI chief should
be sent to India "to sort this out".
Singh was of the view that intelligence agencies of the
two sides might exchange information and evaluate it to "find
out the real culprits behind this terrorist attack which had
once again rocked the relationship of the two countries soon
after President Zardari's positive proposals to India," the
report said.
The newspaper also reported that Singh's request for the
ISI chief to visit India had caught Zardari, Gilani and Kayani
off guard "as none of them knew how to react to the request".
Gilani said he first talked to Kayani about Singh's
request and then briefed Zardari about it.
The report said Zardari and Gilani were "in favour of
sending the DG ISI (to India) so that no one could point any
finger towards Pakistan".
The Pakistan Prime Minister also said he had been trying
to contact his Indian counterpart for the past two days as
Singh had been the first leader to call him after the suicide
bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad in September.
Gilani said he wanted to reciprocate Singh's gesture "in
these testing times for the Indian government and its people".
PTI RHL
PMR
NNNN
the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief to India to
"cooperate" in investigations into the Mumbai terror strikes,
the Pakistan government Saturday did a U-turn apparently under
pressure from the powerful army and decided to depute a senior
official of the spy agency.
The decision to backtrack was taken at a special meeting
attended by Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez
Kayani that spilled well into the wee hours.
The Prime Minister later also chaired a special meeting
of his cabinet to review India's allegations of a Pakistani
link to the terrorist strikes as well as the proposal to send
an ISI representative to assist in the probe into the attacks.
Sources said the cabinet meeting also discussed bilateral
relations and the impact of the Mumbai attacks on the regional
and domestic security situation.
Gilani had Friday agreed to Prime Minister of India
Manmohan Singh's demand to fly the ISI chief to Delhi after
India suspected involvement of Pakistani elements in the
Mumbai terror attacks that left nearly 200 dead.
The government's decision to send a senior official of
counter-terrorism directorate of the ISI instead of the spy
agency's chief Lt Gen Shuja Pasha had been conveyed through
diplomatic channels to India, Dawn News channel reported.
However, sources in the Indian High Commission told PTI
that the mission had not been contacted by the Pakistan
government in this regard.
Singh wanted the ISI chief to visit Delhi to put before
him information about the possible involvement of Pakistani
elements, including those belonging to militant outfit
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in the terror strikes.
Dawn News quoted sources as saying that the meeting of
the country's top civilian and military leadership had decided
to ask India through diplomatic channels to share any evidence
it had on the Mumbai attacks. The ISI official would visit
India only after this evidence is received, the sources said.
The meeting that lasted three hours also reviewed the
"serious accusations and allegations" levelled against
Pakistan by India and made it clear that Islamabad "was in no
way involved" in the attacks in Mumbai, the sources said.
Separate statements issued by the Prime Minister's House
and the Foreign Office had acknowledged that Gilani had
accepted Singh's request. The statement from the Prime
Minister's House had even said that modalities would be worked
out so that the ISI chief could visit India "at the earliest".
Before meeting Zardari, army chief Kayani held
discussions with the heads of intelligence and security
agencies for several hours to assess the situation.
Meanwhile, more details emerged in Pakistani media
Saturday about Gilani's telephone conversation with Singh
Friday and the latter's request to send the ISI chief to
India.
Gilani told The News daily that Singh had told him that
"some Pakistani elements had sent the weapons used in the
Mumbai terrorist attacks from Karachi". The daily quoted
Gilani as saying that Singh told him that the ISI chief should
be sent to India "to sort this out".
Singh was of the view that intelligence agencies of the
two sides might exchange information and evaluate it to "find
out the real culprits behind this terrorist attack which had
once again rocked the relationship of the two countries soon
after President Zardari's positive proposals to India," the
report said.
The newspaper also reported that Singh's request for the
ISI chief to visit India had caught Zardari, Gilani and Kayani
off guard "as none of them knew how to react to the request".
Gilani said he first talked to Kayani about Singh's
request and then briefed Zardari about it.
The report said Zardari and Gilani were "in favour of
sending the DG ISI (to India) so that no one could point any
finger towards Pakistan".
The Pakistan Prime Minister also said he had been trying
to contact his Indian counterpart for the past two days as
Singh had been the first leader to call him after the suicide
bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad in September.
Gilani said he wanted to reciprocate Singh's gesture "in
these testing times for the Indian government and its people".
PTI RHL
PMR
NNNN
