ISI chief on his way to outraged New Delhi

New Delhi's move comes at a time when, sources said, relevant details emerging from the investigations and questioning of the alleged Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists captured alive have been shared with US agencies to cross-check identities in Pakistan given that plot was planned and executed from Pakistani soil.

While this had barely played out, visiting Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi invoked the Samjhauta Express blast case here to make the argument that India tends to arrive at conclusions sooner than it should even though this may have been the worst Terror attack on India.

While confirming that his Government had “in-principle” agreed to Lt Gen Pasha visiting India, he felt a lot of India's “compulsions” had to do with the election season here. “My honest view is that the Indian government should have pondered more, reflected more in coming to the conclusion...you have to be more careful and reactions have to be measured...We understand that India may have domestic compulsions, elections are around, but this is an issue above and beyond politics. Today we all have to rise above politics.”

Just as he was speaking, he received a call from External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee who, as it came to be known later, made it clear that if Pakistan desires to move forward in the bilateral relationship, then “outrages like the attack on our embassy in Kabul and now the attack on Mumbai are intended not to make this impossible”.

Clearly, Lt Gen Pasha, who is better known for his expertise in the NWFP and FATA areas, will have some tough questions to answer when he visits India with security agencies here working overtime to put together proof starting with intercepts before and during the attack, identity documents and other recoveries made from slain terrorists.

... contd.