The Bush administration has “put off” a crucial donors’ conference by the newly-created ‘Friends of Pakistan’. It is learnt that the meeting, which Islamabad was desperately looking forward to, was tentatively scheduled for January 15 in the “home stretch”. But the Bush administration has now deferred it for the new Obama administration to handle. Incidentally, most of the countries who attended at least one of the two meetings of the ‘Friends of Pakistan’ — held on September 26 and November 17 — were ones whose nationals had been killed in the Mumbai terrorist attacks: US, UK, China, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia and Italy.

BIDEN CALLS FOR COOPERATION: Pakistani TV channels quoted the visiting US Vice-President elect as saying India and Pakistan must work together to bring the Mumbai attackers to justice.

SHUT TERROR CAMPS, REPEATS BOUCHER: “We want to make sure that the groups which originated these attacks from Pakistan are shut down and put out of business,” US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said.

ISI HAS REPLIED TO DOSSIER, SAYS GILANI: Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani said, “Our ISI has given its feedback and shared information. That has been passed on to India.”