Pakistan responded to India's accusation that groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba are planning attacks from across the border by saying that New Delhi should share actionable information to prevent such incidents. "We have repeatedly requested the Indian government to share with us whatever information it has in this regard. Sharing of real-time, credible and actionable information on any future terrorist threats was deemed essential by the prime ministers of Pakistan and India at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit," said a statement from Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman.
The spokesman was reacting to comments made earlier in the day by Home Minister P Chidambaram, who told a meeting of top police officials in New Delhi that Pakistan-based groups like LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad were continuing to plan terror strikes in India. Chidambaram expressed deep concern over terrorism "emanating from across the border" and said it continues to remain a persistent threat to Indias security. He also said local support for Pakistan-based terror groups had not ended. The Mumbai terror attacks, which have been blamed on the LeT, were a "game changer", he added.
Referring to Chidambarams remarks "expressing apprehensions on terror strikes being planned by certain groups in Pakistan", the Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman noted that the two prime ministers had also agreed during their meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh in July that "terrorism is the main threat to both countries". "Both leaders also affirmed their resolve to fight terrorism and cooperate with each other to this end," the spokesman said. "Resumption of the composite dialogue and re-activation of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Mechanism offer avenues of pragmatic cooperation, inter alia, including on counter-terrorism," the spokesman said.
Five LeT operatives and two other suspects arrested by Pakistani authorities for alleged involvement in the Mumbai attacks are currently facing trial in an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi. However, Islamabad has ruled out arresting or prosecuting LeT founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, saying the evidence provided against him by New Delhi is inadequate.
To Pakistan Rangers' complaint that Karewala Singh Post in their soil was attacked by the Border Security Force, the Indian side said that it was a reaction in self defence against the area from where the rockets were fired. The BSF IG, however, did not rule out the involvement of LeT in the incident. Meanwhile, the remains of rocket shells were handed over to local police for forensic tests, Singh said in Jalandhar later.
