Thaindian News

New Delhi, April 8 (IANS) Home Secretary G.K. Pillai says talks with Pakistan were revived and progressed after Islamabad promised cooperation on counter-terror measures, including fast-tracking the prosecution of seven Pakistani militants accused of masterminding the terror attack on Mumbai.

Pakistan has “reciprocated” by allowing Indian investigators to go there and examine the evidences related to the Mumbai attack, Pillai said, days after he met his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhary Qamar Zaman here.

He said the talks with Pakistan were “significant because we made some progress”.

“They have given a reciprocity. Like in terms of an Indian judicial commission can go there. They agreed to share information between (probe agencies),” Pillai told IANS in an exclusive interview.

“We will have a hotline between home secretaries. We want something quickly (on terror related issues), we can talk to each other.”

The Pillai-Zaman talks were held as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani while watching a cricket match between India and Pakistan in Mohali last month.

“The Pakistan judicial commission will come here which will help them in their case against the seven they have arrested. That will make their case stronger to prosecute and convict them.

“The prosecution of the (Mumbai attack suspects) will get speeded up once the Pakistan commission comes and goes back with evidences,” Pillai said.

He said India would share all the evidence with the Pakistani team but they won’t get access to Ajmal Kasab, the only militant captured alive from among the 10 Pakistani terrorists who launched the Mumbai carnage.

“They will examine the magistrate who recorded the confession statement of Ajmal Kasab, they will meet the investigating officer, and they will meet the doctors to examine the post morterm reports to get evidence that so many people were killed as a result of AK 47 bullets.

“Then there are lots of certified copies of various recovery documents, in terms of boat motor which was recovered and that is of Pakistani origin… all that will be given to them.”

Pillai said the dates of the visit were yet to be finalised as both the countries have not yet constituted the teams.

The Indian team, he said, would take some time to be formed as there was no case registered against the seven Lashkar terrorists, inlcuding Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, who allegedly guided the Pakistani terrorists over satellite phone when they were slaughtering people in Mumbai.

“We are yet to file the case. The only case we have is against Kasab who is already convicted,” Pillai said.

Asked if Pakistan’s military and civilian government were on the same page over the engagement with India, Pillai said he won’t “get into what is happening or what happened in Pakistan”.

“We presume that whatever has been committed, has been committed with the approval of everybody.”

Cricket diplomacy and home secretary talks marked the revival of peace process between the two neighbours after the November 26-29 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including foreigners.

India had been reluctant to talk to Pakistan becase the seven Pakistanis - all belonging to Islamist militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba - have not been formally charged since their arrest two years ago. But India is now confident that Pakistan will expedite the case against them after teams of Indian and Pakistani investigators examine witnesses and evidences of the attack in each others’ countries.

(Sarwar Kashani can be contacted at s.kashani@ians.in)