India shares Mumbai terror attack evidence with countries

Monday 05 January, 2009: As part of efforts to mobilise the world community, India on Monday presented evidence about involvement of Pakistan-based elements in the Mumbai attacks to several countries, a number of whom found New Delhi's case to be "strong" and convincing.

Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon held a special briefing for the Ambassadors and High Commissioners of over a dozen countries, including the US, UK, Israel, France, Japan, Germany, Turkey and Canada at New Delhi to apprise them about the details of investigation into the Mumbai attacks.

Menon apprised the diplomats about how 10-heavily armed Pakistani terrorists came from Karachi and carried out attacks in Mumbai on 26th November last year and how they were in touch with their handlers in Pakistan even during the three-day engagement with security forces.

The evidence includes confession of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist held during attacks, logbook seized from the vessel in which the terrorists came, records of satellite phone used by terrorists and transcript of their conversations with their handlers in Pakistan.

In his confession, Kasab has spelt out how he became a motivated terrorist of Lashkar-e-Taiba from a normal youth of Faridkot in Pakistan's Punjab province and how he was trained specifically for the terror mission.

"India presented a very strong case. We will examine it," said Australian High Commissioner John McCarthy after the briefing.

Diplomat of another country, on condition of anonymity, said he was quite pleased and "convinced" with the evidence presented by the Foreign Secretary.

The briefing for the foreign envoys came soon after India handed over evidence to Pakistan, with an expectation that Islamabad would act on it promptly.

India gives Mumbai attacks proof to Pak, to share with world

Monday 05 January, 2009: that country to the Mumbai attacks and prepared to share the proof with the world community with an expectation that Islamabad would cooperate in punishing the culprits.

Describing the Mumbai attacks as an "unpardonable crime", India asked Pakistan to promptly follow up on the evidence by holding further probe there and share the results with New Delhi so that the guilty are brought to justice.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said he had also written to his counterparts around the globe, giving details of the Mumbai attacks, and hoped that the "world will unite" in ensuring an end to cross-border terrorism faced by India.

"We have today handed over to Pakistan evidence of the links with elements in Pakistan of the terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008," Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi on Monday.

His statement came soon after Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Shahid Malik to hand over the dossier, which includes confession of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist held during the Mumbai attacks, and other material.

"What happened in Mumbai was an unpardonable crime," Mukherjee said and asked Pakistan to implement the bilateral commitments it has made at the highest levels to India and "practice its international obligations," he said.

The External Affairs Ministry said "this material is linked to elements in Pakistan" and "it is our expectation that the government of Pakistan will promptly undertake further investigations in Pakistan and share the results with us so as to bring the perpetrators to justice."

The evidence includes confession of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist held during Mumbai terror strikes, records of GPS and satellite phones used by the attackers and transcript of conversations between the attackers and their handlers in Pakistan during the three-day gunbattles.

It also includes details about weapons and other articles recovered from the 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who came from Karachi and attacked Mumbai on 26th November last year.

"We are also briefing all our friendly countries," the External Affairs Minister said.

"I have written to my counterparts around the world giving them details of the events in Mumbai and describing in some detail the progress that we have made in our investigations and the evidence that we have collected," Mukherjee said.

Home Minister P Chidambaram will travel to the US, expectedly on Tuesday, to share evidence on Mumbai attacks as part of efforts to build pressure on Pakistan.

The External Affairs Ministry will also be briefing all heads of missions based in New Delhi by on Tuesday.

Indian ambassadors and high commissioners will be doing the same in their host countries, he said.

"It is my hope that the world will unite to achieve the goal of eliminating the threat of such terrorism," Mukherjee said.

India hoped that Pakistan will implement its "bilateral, multilateral and international obligations to prevent terrorism in any manner from territory under its control".

Govt to focus on IIFCL refinance to pump in Rs 75k cr: Montek

Monday 05 January, 2009: The govt will focus on utilisation of refinance facility extended to IIFCL to provide Rs 75,000 crore for the infrastructure sector projects with a view to arrest economic slowdown, Planning Commission Dy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said.

"I am particularly looking at implementing the IIFCL refinancing. We should implement that and announce the details as quickly as possible," he told PTI after meeting India Infrastructure Finance Company (IIFCL) Chairman S S Kohli and Finance Ministry officials.

IIFCL is expected to leverage Rs 30,000 crore it has been allowed to raise from tax-free bonds and provide about Rs 75,000 crore to projects in the infrastructure sector.

The refinance facility granted to IIFCL, Ahluwalia said, "is a very important instrument for getting investment in Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects."

"To fund additional projects of about Rs 75,000 crore at competitive rates over the next 18 months, IIFCL is being enabled to access in tranches an additional Rs 30,000 crore by way of tax-free bonds," he had said while announcing the second stimulus package on Friday.

About any additional measure for monetary reforms by the government he said, "Right thing to do now is to wait and see. We are concentrating not on the monetary side but there is a lot to be done on implementing components of the stimulus package".

"We are trying very hard - the clarity, pace of work going to be done etc should be made much clear. I am particularly looking at implementing the IIFCL refinancing," he said.

The second stimulus package came within a month of the first one, which reduced excise duty by 4 per cent and promised to raise public expenditure by Rs 20,000 crore for projects, especially in the core sector.

Antony reviews security preparedness with NSA

Monday 05 January, 2009: With Pakistan unrelenting on India's demands for action against terror groups and in view of the recent Assam blasts, Defence Minister A K Antony today reviewed the nation's security preparedness with National Security Adviser (NSA) M K Narayanan.

"The Defence Minister held a meeting with the NSA to review the security situation," Defence Ministry officials told the news agency in New Delhi.

The three Services chiefs Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major and Army chief General Deepak Kapoor, apart from Defence Secretary Vijay Singh participated in the discussions, officials said.

During the meeting, the Minister asked the officials and officers to make a presentation on the current security scenario and the threat perceptions, and discussed the preparedness of the armed forces in tackling them, officials added.

FBI to confront Pak with evidence gathered in Mumbai: US

New Delhi: Piling up pressure on Pakistan, the US on Monday said an FBI team will take the evidence it has gathered in the Mumbai attacks to Islamabad and pursue the probe into the terror strike "to its conclusion".

"The FBI will pursue the evidence gathered there (in Mumbai) and they will eventually take the evidence to Pakistan because under our law, if Americans are killed, the US itself has a duty to pursue all avenues to the bottom of it," US Ambassador in Delhi David C Mulford told reporters here. "This is what the FBI is doing and will do in coming weeks and months," he said.

Noting that the US has been rallying behind India on the issue of November 26 Mumbai attacks, Mulford said Washington will pursue the investigation into the carnage to its "conclusion."

"The FBI has been in Mumbai since early December and has, I must say, been welcomed there. The level of cooperation offered to the FBI is very very significant and very much appreciated by the United States," he said. Asked about reports that Pakistan has rejected evidence given by the FBI, Mulford evaded a direct reply.

"I cannot comment on that because I don't think the process is anyway completed," he said.

Describing the cooperation offered by India to FBI as "very very positive experience", he said some agency officials were still in Mumbai.

On whether FBI will be allowed into Pakistan to probe the Pakistani links into the attacks, Mulford said the American agency will be granted access to the country.

"The US has an FBI representative in Pakistan at the embassy there. So there is a person there and FBI people will certainly be granted access to Pakistan," he said.

Asked whether Pakistan was doing enough on the issue, he said, "The US will pursue this matter to its conclusion.

"The US will receive from the Indian Government what ever evidence there is. Because we have been involved in helping it gather evidence," he said.

Asked to clarify US position on whether it supports India's demand of handing over terrorists by Pakistan involved in the terror acts, Mulford said Washington has been supporting India on this issue as it is evident from the visits of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and other senior military and intelligence officials.

"They have all made clear the support of the US. There can be no doubt at all on that," he added.

On reports of 'Jamaat-ud-Dawa', the front organisation of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, that was banned by UN Security Council in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks resurrecting under a new name, he only said "I cannot comment on that except that when names are changed, you know you don't change the spots on the leopard."

Asked to comment on India's handing over of evidence to Pakistan linking that country to the Mumbai attacks, he said "It's not possible for me to comment on an ongoing investigation." Mulford said the investigations were taking "a great deal of time."

"They take a long time to be accomplished. They have to be done with many many different factors in mind, including evidence gathered that can be used in court," he said.