Reminding Islamabad (read General Pervez Musharraf) of its assurance that it wouldn’t allow its soil to be used for terror against India, Singh said Pakistan must take urgent steps to control terrorism operating from its territory.

Having taken stock of the progress made by investigating agencies on the seven train bomb blasts, Singh said he had communicated to the government of Pakistan that unless support to terrorist infrastructure is severed, ‘‘it is exceedingly difficult for any government to carry forward what may be called as a normalisation and peace process.’’

Speaking at a press conference after visiting the injured at two Mumbai hospitals, he said: ‘‘We are also certain that these terror modules are instigated, inspired and supported by elements across the border, without which they cannot act with such devastating effect.’’

On continuing confidence-building measures, he reiterated that Pakistan had, two years ago, committed to ensuring that Pakistani territory is not used to aid and abet terrorism against India. ‘‘That assurance must be fulfilled before the peace process or other processes can make progress,’’ he said.

Incidentally, both Foreign Secretaries were to meet to take stock of the last round of the composite dialogue and finalise the agenda for the next round. The tentative dates being worked on was July 20-21. However, the alleged Pakistan link in the Mumbai blasts prompted a rethink in New Delhi which now wants to delay these talks.

In New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said today that ‘‘unsettling events’’ have taken place indicating that talks will have to be delayed.

The high-level team accompanying Singh to Mumbai included Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil.

Also present when he took stock of the security situation were Maharashtra Governor S M Krishna, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

The Prime Minister blamed the intelligence lapse on the lack of ‘‘micro-level’’ specific details in the warnings given by the Central intelligence agencies about an impending attack in Mumbai. While praising the Mumbai police and intelligence agencies, Singh pointed to an urgent need for an upgrade in intelligence gathering systems, to match technology accessible to terrorists.

While no special relief package from the Centre was announced for the blast victims, there were other promises: Terrorism will be eliminated, communal elements contained in the aftermath of the attacks and security forces’ capabilities upgraded to meet the threat. Surveillance gadgets at vital installations, electronic surveillance systems and communication interception capabilities would feature in all major establishments’ security plans, he promised.

At the Sion and King Edward Memorial hospitals, Singh, accompanied by wife Gursharan Kaur, stopped at the bedside of a few patients, enquiring and nodding as doctors and officials explained how the injured were rushed in, how the civic infrastructure coped, how many bodies had been identified and claimed. But it was the people of the unnerved city that Singh had a final salute for: ‘‘The spirit of Mumbai’’ admired by the whole nation.

certainly helped From across border

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the blasts in Mumbai were carried out “by terrorists with support from across the border.” Among the statements he made today on the attacks in Mumbai were:

I have explained to the Government of Pakistan at the highest level that if the acts of terrorism are not controlled, it is exceedingly difficult for any government to carry forward what may be called as normalisation and peace process.

We had macro-level information (on the blasts). But at the micro-level, we did not have specific intelligence that this particular target they will attack this time.

We are also certain that these terror modules are instigated, inspired and supported by elements across the border without which they cannot act with such devastating effects.