India ‘to prove Pakistan role in bombings’

INDIA will give Islamabad evidence that Pakistan’s spy agency planned the Mumbai train bombings in July which killed more than 200 people, India’s foreign secretary said yesterday.

Indian police alleged on Saturday that Pakistan’s Directorate of Inter Services Intelligence, or ISI, was behind the bombings in India’s economic and entertainment centre.

Pakistan immediately denied the claims and demanded evidence.

The two nuclear-armed neighbours are bitter rivals who have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947.

“This (evidence) is something that we will certainly take up with the government of Pakistan,” said India’s new foreign secretary, Shiv Shankar Menon.

“We will judge them (Pakistan) not by their verbal actions, but what they actually do,” said Mr Menon, whose previously served as India’s ambassador to Pakistan.

India’s main Hindu nationalist opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party, called on the government to sever ties with Islamabad.

Pakistan’s ambassador to India “should be immediately summoned and categorically told that India will reconsider continuation of diplomatic relations with Pakistan,” BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters.

At a news conference to announce the end of the probe into the bombings, Mumbai Police Commissioner AN Roy said the intensive investigation, which included questioning suspects drugged with “truth serum,” revealed Pakistan’s role. He did not describe what the drug was or how it worked.

“The conspiracy was hatched in Pakistan,” Roy said. “The terror plot was ISI-sponsored and executed by Lashkar-e-Tayyaba operatives with help from the Students’ Islamic Movement of India.”

Pakistan dismissed the accusations.

“We reject this allegation, and demand that India should provide us any evidence, if they have,” said Tariq Azim, minister of state for information.