Unfair to say Pakistan has not done enough: Qureshi

Pakistan termed as "presumptuous" India's contention that enough was not being done in the Mumbai attacks case on Sunday, saying the two countries would understand "each other's challenges and difficulties" only through engagement.

In an interview to PTI, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi pressed for a common approach to deal with terrorism and promised to take action against any handler of 26/11, insisting that Islamabad will not sleep over leads forwarded to it.

As India raises questions over the speed of trial in Pakistan in the 26/11 case, Qureshi said the pace was slow because of "complications" arising from the fact that the crime was committed in a different country and exchange of information was a "cumbersome" process.

He said India and Pakistan should work together to send out a message to terrorists that they cannot "drive a wedge" between the two countries.

"If you say Pakistan has not moved, it will be unfair," Qureshi said when pointed to India's refrain that enough has not been done by Islamabad in investigating the 26/11 case and bringing to book all those behind the carnage.

"Do not question our sincerity. We want to move on because terrorism is hitting us as well," the Pakistan foreign minister said.

India has been complaining that Pakistan is not taking action against Mumbai attacks mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and other identified handlers continue to be at large.

When referred to this, Qureshi said, "This is being presumptuous. You are presuming because we are not talking. You are presuming because we are not in contact."

He said when the two sides "sit, meet and talk, these presumptions will disappear and the reality will surface. When the reality surfaces, we will be able to understand each other's challenges and difficulties".

Home Minister P Chidambaram during his meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Rahman Malik here said there were more people behind the Mumbai attack who should be prosecuted.

The minister said India and Pakistan needed to develop a joint strategy to deal with these challenges and difficulties.

To a question, he insisted that Pakistan was following up on information provided by India with regard to the Mumbai attacks.

"Pakistan is following up (on the information). Believe me, if we get leads, we are not going to sleep over them. We are going to take action. We are going to follow those leads," he maintained.

India has been saying that it has given Pakistan enough information detailing involvement of Saeed and other handlers, including two army majors, in the Mumbai attacks on the basis of its own investigation, probe by US agencies and revelations by Pakistani-American Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative David Headley.

The Pakistan Foreign Minister said his country would take action against any handler of 26/11 because such a person was "dangerous" as the two countries were almost taken brought to a war.

He said India and Pakistan should develop a common approach to deal with the menace of terrorism.

On India's warning that any repeat of Mumbai attacks would lend a serious setback to the bilateral ties, Qureshi said such statements amounted to giving handle to terrorists to dictate the agenda.

"We feel, by making such statements, you (India) are playing in the hands of those who want to scuttle (improvement in relations). The minute you say that, terrorists feel they control the agenda," he said.

"God forbid, terrorist incident happens either in India or Pakistan, we should join forces to deal with that," he said, adding that was the "sensible" thing to do.

He said India and Pakistan should send out a message to terrorists that they will be allowed to fulfill their agenda of driving a wedge between the two countries and "we will join hands to defeat you".

Qureshi said the Pakistan government had never wanted the Mumbai attacks to happen and had condemned the "unfortunate" incident.