'There should be no hesitation from Pak govt to probe 26/11'

Strongly pitching for good Indo-Pak relations, a Pakistani delegation on Friday, said the Zardari government was for peace and there should not be any hesitation on its part to investigate the Mumbai terror attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice.

"We are committed to peace," a member of the delegation and chairperson of the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, Asma Jehangir, said at a press conference here on Friday.

Asserting that the peace process should be restored, journalist Imtiaz Alam said, "We are of the firm view that the two governments must cooperate to bring to justice the perpetrators of crime committed against humanity in Mumbai and there should not be any hesitation on the part of the Pakistani government to do the investigations and the subsequent trials".

He said terrorism has turned into a "big monster" and the main centre of it is in Afghanistan and Pakistan's North West Frontier Region (NWFP).

"That (terror) is overflowing towards India and the rest of the region. It may have gone out of control of the Pakistani state in some areas and there need to be regional approach and oneness of cooperation to tackle it," Alam said adding that
the Joint Anti-Terror Mechanism should be strengthened.

National Executive Committee member, Haji Mohammad Adeel said, "Mumbai attacks need to be condemned. Pakistan also faces such attacks very frequently. The present government after coming to power and with its message of peace with India, gave us hope. But I think 26/11 led to hardship in the relationship between the two neighbours."

Alam said, "We appreciate the voices of peace on many sides. They do not want war. Whether Mumbai or Islamabad, their agony is common and so should be our efforts against terrorism.

"We want democracy in Pakistan to be consolidated and we want the largest democracy in the world that it should strengthen its sister democracy in Pakistan," he added.

Claiming that the purpose of the Mumbai attacks was to bring the two countries to blows and divert attention from the war against terrorism in NWFP, Alam said, "They have, I think, partially succeeded."

On US president Barak Obama's message to Pakistan to perform, he said it is a relationship between the client state and the donor state.

"The donor states tell the client state how to do and what to do. There is nothing abnormal about it and I would urge India to not to be in that position in which Pakistan has been for so long," he said.

Commenting on why Pakistan denied that the lone terrorist in Mumbai attacks Amir Ajmal was a Pakistani, Alam said parents generally deny such kids.

"I think it was stupid on the part of the decision makers to deny this," he added.

He blamed the media in Mumbai for creating a hype over the involvement of Pakistan in the terror attacks. "The over-active and over-hyped media in Mumbai jumped all conclusions like the great intelligence investigators and reached the bottom of the things."

Iqbal Haider, co-chairperson of Pakistan Human Rights Commission, said the investigations by Pakistan on "the Mumbai carnage should be believed" as the government there is working hard on it to bring the culprits to justice.

On the Kashmir issue, he said the two countries should maintain status quo on the Line of Control but enhance frequent meeting of people and exchange of trade".

"Mumbai attack was meant for destroying the harmony that India and Pakistan enjoyed with each other. We will build pressure on the Pakistani government to resume dialogue with India. But what I feel is that India should not have tested the nuclear device in 1998, which prompted Pakistan to follow suit," he added.

During a panel discussion, the Pakistani delegation stressed on the need for society's role to bridge the gap that has emerged between the two neighbours, and it should facilitate more dialogue and people-to-people contact (Track II diplomacy).

"Mumbai carnage was manifestation of a bigger problem that India and Pakistan face - terrorism and extremism. Even the civil society of the two countries should engage in interactions among themselves and even with their respective governments for better relations," a delegate said.

However, the delegation members accepted that Pakistan is passing through a turbulent phase as extremists have gained strength in the areas like NWFP.