AGENCY
New Delhi: India and Pakistan have not been able to agree upon a “mutually convenient” date for Foreign Secretary-level talks so far even as New Delhi today asserted that Mumbai attack case trial was a “test” of Pakistan’s sincerity in combating terrorism directed against the country.
“As of now, we don’t have a mutually convenient date,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.
He was asked about the status of Indo-Pak Foreign Secretaries-level talks and reported remarks of Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit during an interview here on the possibility of the parleys in the first week of February.
On the progress of probe by Pakistan in Pathankot terror strike, he said the two governments were in “continuous communication” regarding the matter but refused to give any further details.
He also added that while it was decided that the issues pertaining to terrorism would be handled by NSAs of the two countries but it was obvious that when the Foreign Secretaries will meet, the Pathankot attack would be raised by India.
Noting that it has seen media reports about the Pakistan High Court dismissing government’s petition seeking voice samples of 26/11 mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Swarup said but India has not received any word on this through official channels.
“We see Mumbai terror attack trial in Islamabad as a test of Pakistan’s sincerity in combating terrorism directed against India. The planning, training and financing of the Mumbai terrorist attack was done in Pakistan where 99 per cent of the evidence is.
“It is Pakistan’s responsibility to unearth and present the requisite evidences in the ongoing trial so that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” the spokesperson said.
Pakistani Government had filed an application in the Islamabad High Court seeking voice samples of the suspects to compare it with the communication intercepted by Indian intelligence and then present it before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) as evidence in the Mumbai attack case but the petition was dismissed by the Court on Monday.
