Mumbai attack planned outside Pakistan soil: Minister Qureshi

by Balvinder Singh Lahori on February 3, 2009

February 03, 2009: Hindustan Times, Times of India

In its first formal response to the Indian dossier on the 26/11 attacks, Pakistan on Tuesday said that Mumbai attacks were not planned from the Pakistan soil.

Pakistan Minister of State for Interior Tasneem Qureshi said that Mumbai attacks were not planned from Pakistani soil. He said that Pakistan will give a detailed response to the Indian dossier in a week’s time.

A team of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has submitted its preliminary probe report regarding the Mumbai attacks, Tasnim told reporters during a visit to National Police Foundation…

“The report would soon be made public at a suitable time, possibly within a week,” Qureshi said. Top Pakistani leaders have said the law, interior and foreign ministries are currently vetting the report submitted by a three-member team of the FIA.Foreign minister Qureshi also said that Pakistan wants to restore normal relations with India. Bilateral talks on all issues, including Kashmir, will resume only after ties are normalised, he said. Qureshi made it clear that negotiations are the “only solution to conflicts” between India and Pakistan. Fiery speeches on both sides will not help resolve issues, he said.

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A case of disagreement or simple miscommunication on this “important” matter?

Earlier today, contradicting National Security Advisor M K Narayanan’s claim that Islamabad has reverted on Mumbai attacks dossier, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee asserted that India is yet to receive any official response from Pakistan.

“That he (Narayanan) has said in his own way. The fact of the matter is that after they (Pakistan) received material from us, we have not received any official communication about the progress of investigation conducted by them,” Mukherjee told reporters when referred to the NSA’s comments.

Narayanan had in a TV interview two days back claimed that Pakistan had reverted on the Mumbai attacks dossier, asking questions to which answers were being given.

“What I am aware of is that after the receipt of the dossier by Pakistan, the Pakistan government has reverted to us and asked number of questions to which answers are being provided…. I presume they are yet to receive replies to the second set of queries they have made,” the NSA had said.

Mukherjee, however, emphasised, “As I stated earlier, we are awaiting official information” from Pakistan.