Though Pak authorities announced that the men had been detained in the first week of December, the official declined to say how long it took for them to confess their role in the Mumbai siege. The official also declined to specify how many confessions had been obtained, and said, “It’s not just one confession.”

But Indian officials and other skeptics are sure to question how seriously interrogations by Pakistani security officials could be expected to examine any possible role by the ISI in the attacks.

US intelligence officials say they believe that links remain between Lashkar and the ISI, and that the spy agency has helped support the militant group for the past several years by sharing intelligence and providing protection.

But American officials say they also believe that the spy agency has become more careful to mask its ties with militants since this summer, when American officials accused the spy agency of involvement in the bombing of the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan.

PTI adds: An FBI team visited the village of Ajmal Ameer Kasab, the lone terrorist captured during the Mumbai attacks, in Faridkot yesterday to probe his links. Diplomatic and other sources said the team conducted inquiries in the village. Sources rubbished reports in the media, particularly in some Pakistani TV channels, that the FBI team had found nothing that proved Kasab was a Pak national.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko, asked by Dawn to comment on reports of the team’s visit to Faridkot, said: “The FBI continues to assist Indian authorities with their investigation. We will work with the Indian authorities and our partners to follow leads wherever they may take us.”