Pak not probing link of official agencies to 26/11: Chidambaram

Contending that "overwhelming" evidence suggests involvement of Pakistan's official agencies in the Mumbai attacks, India has said Islamabad is neither pursuing this angle nor allowing the FBI to do so.
     
Home minister P Chidambaram pointed out that Pakistan has not shared any information it may have got from interrogation of people detained in that country in connection with 26/11.
     
He underlined that India will "apply pressure" and use "coercive diplomacy" to ensure that perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks are brought to justice.
     
"... Given the overwhelming evidence that we have, I am entitled to presume that official agencies (of Pakistan) were involved (in the Mumbai attacks)," Chidambaram said on a television show.
     
He said that presumption can be "rebutted only if evidence to the contrary is available in the investigation."
     
Asked whether the evidence that points finger towards official agencies of Pakistan is "conclusive or very suggestive", the home minister said "That I cannot say now. That will require investigation on Pakistan soil.
     
"It will require going to the controllers, the handlers and then interrogating them and finding out that whether they had masters of their own. That access has not been given to us."

When referred to the name of some 'Colonel Saddatullah', suspected to be an officer of Pakistan army, cropping up in India's investigation into the Mumbai attacks, Chidambaram said ".. All that we know is that there is a name that appears in the conversation. So, we need to go there to investigate."
     
He added: "Pakistan has not allowed India to investigate. Pakistan has not given the Federal Bureau of Investigation the right to investigate.... FBI asked (for) access that has been denied. And if Pakistan is also unwilling to investigate, now where do we go from here?"
     
Chidambaram agreed that the involvement of Pakistan's official agencies would be established if it is proved that 'Col Saddatullah' is a member of 'Special Communications Organisation' which has got close links with Pakistan Army's Corps of Signals.
     
Asked whether the links of Pakistani official agencies with the Mumbai attacks could be established, he said "I don't know, unless if someone is allowed to investigate".
     
Talking about the necessity to probe, he questioned why Pakistan doesn't let the FBI, which is "completely neutral" to investigate.
     
Queried whether Pakistan has made available any information that it has got from interrogation of the people detained there, he said "none so far... I have not seen any material given by Pakistan about their investigation."

Asked if India has requested anything from Pakistan as yet, Chidambaram replied in the negative.
    
On whether he would be making the request, he said "that is a matter on which I will take a call later. I do not want to prejudice the trial in Mumbai".
       
To another question, Chidambaram ruled out allowing Pakistan to question Ajmal.
    
"Ajmal has asked for consular access. We have passed on that request to Pakistan. Pakistan, to the best of my knowledge, has not responded to that request. So, Pakistan would have to first admit that Ajmal is a Pakistani citizen and they will, therefore, provide him consular access. We have now stopped even at the very threshold," he said.
       
The home minister said that until Islamabad accepts that he is a Pakistani, there was no question of giving another government the permission to interrogate Ajmal. "That doesn't arise," he said.
    
Asked if he believed Pakistan has either the time or the inclination to pursue the Mumbai terror prosecution in the present circumstances of political turmoil, the home minister said "it will be sad if they have neither the time nor the inclination".

On whether he will be satisfied if Pakistan prosecuted and punished the accused on its soil, Chidambaram said "if crimes have been committed on Pakistan soil, for example a crime of conspiracy, Pakistan law would oblige Pakistan to prosecute the criminal in Pakistan. We understand that.
       
"But, if they do not wish to prosecute the criminal in their country, we would be quite happy if they hand them over to us for prosecution and punishment," he said, and added that fugitives from Indian law have to be handed over to India.
    
If Pakistan has done enough to actually dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism, Chidambaram retorted "none, to the best of my knowledge."
       
On claims that Islamabad had closed down five LeT training camps in Pakistan, he said these training camps were not permanent structures. "These are training camps that mushroom in villages with 'kutcha' (temporary) structures. So, these can be dismantled and erected elsewhere.
       
"We have enough intelligence to believe that controllers and handlers are still active. They are still attempting to infiltrate people across the border and across the LoC. There is still a lot of communication between handlers and cadres in Kashmir. Therefore, we have put our forces on a high alert between now and the elections," he said.

Chidambaram agreed to the suggestion that terror network in Pakistan was almost unaffected by the steps taken by that country.
       
To a specific question whether the quantum of threat India faced remains virtually undiminished, he said "that's right, too".
        
The home minister said India has given all documents to Pakistan barring the confessional statement of the lone surviving terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Amir.
       
"They (Pakistan) asked questions. We have complete answers which would have satisfied me if I was the questioner," he said, adding the 401-page document has "everything that Pakistan wants to take investigations forward".
       
On why Ajmal's confessions were not given, he said it was a confession before a judicial magistrate and once a certified copy was obtained from the court, it would be passed on to Pakistan.
    
Chidambaram dismissed as "laughable" Pakistan's claim that they do not know the whereabouts of Jaish chief Masood Azhar.
    
On the possibility of Indian or local involvement in the Mumbai terror attack, he said investigation did not reveal any such involvement, except two Indians who prepared the maps, which were apparently passed on to the terrorists.