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Quereshi refutes report on ‘ISI hand’ in embassy attack

COLOMBO: Pakistan Foreign Minister Mahmood Quereshi on Friday refuted a report in the New York Times that the ISI ‘helped plan’ the bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul on July 7.

Asked about the report, the Minister said: “There are all kinds of reports in the media and we cannot be guided by them. On Saturday I am meeting the U.S. Assistant of State for South and Central Asian Affairs to discuss various issues of interest between Pakistan and the U.S.”

At a news conference here on Thursday, Mr. Quereshi said charges and counter-charges would not be helpful and Islamabad was ready to cooperate in the fight against terrorism.

The Kabul embassy bombing and the recent violations of cease fire across the Line of Control (LoC) are expected to figure prominently in the first formal meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani on Saturday.

Mr. Boucher is arriving here to take part in the 15th SAARC Summit scheduled on August 2 and 3. He will hold a news conference on Sunday.

“American intelligence agencies have concluded that members of Pakistan’s powerful spy service helped plan the deadly July 7 bombing of India’s embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to United States government officials.

“The conclusion was based on intercepted communications between Pakistani intelligence officers and militants who carried out the attack, the officials said, providing the clearest evidence to date that Pakistani intelligence officers are actively undermining American efforts to combat militants in the region,” the NYT said in its report.

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