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26/11: Pakistan shares information with Interpol

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan shared the information it gave to India on the Mumbai attacks with visiting Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble on Friday.

The Interior Ministry said Rehman Malik, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior, and Mr. Noble discussed the Federal Investigation Agency enquiry into the Mumbai terror attacks.

“The information which government of Pakistan shared with government of India through diplomatic channels was shared with Secretary-General Interpol,” it said, adding that Mr. Noble “appreciated Pakistan’s sincere efforts to investigate this case and the work done by investigators”

Later, speaking in Lahore, Mr. Malik said as the incident had taken place in India, much of the evidence was located there, and Pakistan would not be able to make a headway in the investigation unless the Indian government responded to 30 questions given by it.

He also said Pakistan wanted to “share responsibility” and would not stop the investigation. But, Mr. Malik said, the Indian response was required to build a “watertight” case for the prosecution.

Some of the questions asked by Pakistan are about the possible Indian links of the Mumbai gunmen. Mr. Malik said: “We have firm belief that anybody, irrespective of Pakistani, Indian or anyone else, who is [involved in this case] should be brought to justice.”

On Tuesday, the same day as the Lahore attacks, a court extended the FIA remand of four suspects in the Mumbai case registered by 15 days. The four are Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Zarar Shah alias Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal alias Abu al Qama, and Hamad Amin Sadiq.

Mr. Malik, who said on Thursday that there was no evidence against India or the LTTE in the Lahore attacks, but the involvement of Al-Qaeda was a possibility, told reporters in Lahore that a “foreign hand” could not be ruled out.

The Interior Ministry head had also ruled out the involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba or any link to the arrest of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. But Dawn newspaper reported on Friday that investigators were narrowing down on LeT as the prime suspect in the Lahore attack.

The newspaper said “headstrong” LeT members had staged the attack in retaliation for the crackdown on the group following the Mumbai attacks. It said one of the Lahore attackers had assured Lakhvi that he would avenge his arrest. Investigators are also said to be questioning Jamat-ud-dawa chief Hafiz Saeed to track down the suspected Lahore attackers.

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