FIA Report in 10 Days Flat: Pak

With its diplomacy beginning to look more and more like that of its oriental neighbour, China, Islamabad on Sunday said the three-man team of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency responsible for conducting investigations on the basis of the Indian dossier on the Mumbai attacks has been given 10 days to report back with its findings.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik added that the government would also try to “convert” the information given by India into evidence so that cases could be registered against the perpetrators in Pakistan, in order to bring them to book.

Minister Malik also urged India to come up with more information to help the Pakistani end of the investigations.

With New Delhi continuing to press for action against terror perpetrators holed up inside its territories Pakistan has continued to play down the pressures in its briefings to the local media.

Islamabad over the weekend has struggled to suggest that Pakistan has initiated the investigations on its own while adding that “no country can dictate the country’s policies.”

However, in an interview to Geo televison, Malik said that as part of the international community and several world fora, Pakistan was duty-bound to fulfill certain “obligations,” and it was in pursuance of these that it started taking action against those with suspected links to the Mumbai attacks.

Malik said that if any Pakistani found involved in the Mumbai terror strikes, which he described as a “heinous” crime, would face trial in Pakistan in accordance with prevalent laws.

PTI, on Sunday said that in response to queries on what line Pakistan would adopt if India insisted on extradition of the suspects, Malik said his government would demand the extradition of the Samjhauta Express bombing suspect, Lt. Col. Shrikant Purohit.

Hoping to diversify political liabilities Malik said that action had been taken against outlawed groups such as the Jamaat-ud-Dawah by the provincial government of Punjab.

Punjab is governed by Pakistan’s main Opposition PML(N) which assumed the present role after estrangement with ruling coalition partner PPP, which is at the helm of affairs in the country.