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Pakistan demands India provide Mumbai evidence
By NAHAL TOOSI,Associated Press Writer AP - Thursday, December 18
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan sought to put some of the pressure over the Mumbai bloodshed on India, demanding Wednesday that its neighbor hand over "concrete evidence" against Pakistani citizens and groups allegedly involved in the terror attack.
Officials have been saying for days that they need evidence to try suspects, but there has no sign India would provide any of its findings soon.
The squabble epitomizes the distrust between the nuclear-armed countries, which have fought three wars in six decades. But leaders of both nations also have political problems from the assault that killed 164 people in India's financial capital.
Pakistan's government must maintain the support of a public easily angered by Indian complaints, yet it faces rising global concern about al-Qaida, Taliban and other Islamic militants operating on Pakistani soil. It also needs evidence to keep courts from freeing suspects.
India is trying to calm a public outraged by the Mumbai attack and alleged Pakistani complicity, and its investigators are dealing with shooting scenes scattered across the city. Officials also may worry that sharing evidence could compromise some intelligence methods.
"There's a lack of trust and confidence in each other, in spite of saying that there's a common threat that both of us face," said Indian security analyst Ashok Mehta. "There's a conspicuous lack of confidence in sharing intelligence."
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said his government hasn't seen any information on the attack except for what has been reported by news media. That isn't sufficient for Pakistan to prosecute suspects, he said.
"India needs to provide concrete evidence for these investigations to move forward," Qureshi said. "We do not share evidence through the media. There are diplomatic channels for that."
The United States and Britain have backed India's assertions that Lashkar-e-Taiba, an outlawed Pakistan-based militant group with alleged ties to Pakistani intelligence and al-Qaida, was behind the Mumbai attack. India also says the one gunman captured alive and nine who died came from Pakistan.
Besides arresting some suspects, Pakistan has shuttered offices of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charity that the U.N. recently branded as a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The crackdown, especially on the charity, has prompted public protests, including one by dozens of children Wednesday in Karachi. Jamaat-ud-Dawa is popular among many Pakistanis for its schools, medical assistance and disaster relief.
"Because the public at least doesn't know what the specific evidence was, the sympathy of the public is not necessarily with the government," said Tasnim Noorani, a former Pakistani interior secretary. "However, if they have the evidence ... the actions of the government of Pakistan would be that much more credible."
Government leaders have been reluctant to acknowledge any of the attackers were Pakistani, even though a major Pakistani newspaper carried an interview with a man in a Pakistani village who confirmed the surviving attacker was his son.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari told British Broadcasting Corp. in an interview posted online Wednesday that reports of the living gunman's background were being investigated.
"There've been disputed positions in the press," Zardari said. "So I would say the investigation is ongoing and I would not jump to a conclusion."
Pakistani officials have steadfastly ruled out handing over any suspects to India. The stance reflects the need of the civilian government to avoid offending the public by seeming to bow to India or to the U.S., which is a major source of aid but is viewed warily by many Pakistanis.
"Things have not been made easy by the Indian government _ the way it acted, quite in haste, going public" with accusations, Pakistani political analyst Rasul Bakhsh Rais said. "A lot of people in positions here are demanding similar kinds of noises and accusing the government of buckling under pressure and not taking a firm nationalistic posture."
A Pakistani defense analyst, Ayesha Siddiqa, said it was possible India "had no evidence" to share, but he added it was more likely that Indian officials were worried about giving away some of their methods, especially if it involved intelligence work.
The attack also gave Indian investigators a complicated case, with the deaths and destruction spread over three days.
Even Pakistan's foreign minister seemed to acknowledge those challenges.
"Obviously they have to have a watertight case," Qureshi told Dawn News television. "Obviously they are doing that and perhaps they are not ready yet."
___
Associated Press writers Carley Petesch in New York, Zarar Khan in Islamabad, Ashraf Khan in Karachi and Sam Dolnick in New Delhi contributed to this report.
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