India

Delhi protests to Islamabad over Mumbai attacks

Article published on the 2008-12-01 Latest update 2008-12-01 15:49 TU

Opposition supporters chant anti-government slogans in Bhopal
(Photo: Reuters)

India's Foreign Ministry has summoned Pakistan's ambassador to formally protest over the attacks on Mumbai, as tension between the two countries mounts. earlier Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, of which the city is the state capital, offered to quit amid mounting criticism of official handling of the attacks.

Relations with neighbouring Pakistan have grown tenser, as Deputy Home Minister Shakeel Ahmad told the BBC that all the attackers came from Pakistan, while Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma told the AFP news agency that the situation was a "grave setback" for relations between the two countries.

Chief Minister Deshmukh was widely criticised on Sunday when he visited the Taj Hotel, one of the main targets of the attacks and  his deputy, RR Patil, resigned on Monday morning.

The head of the country's Coast Guard, Vice-Admiral Rusi Contractor, resigned on Sunday in the light of revelations that the attackers arrived by sea, while National Security Adviser MK Narayanan has offered to go but is expected to stay in his post.

As opposition parties demonstrate against the government's handling of the incidents, Monday's Hindustan Times says that intelligence agencies had information at least ten months ago that the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group was planning to attack five-star hotels in Mumbai.

And the Times of India says that the Intelligence Bureau told the National Security Council in September that the Taj could be a target, while an advisory in November said that an attack would come by sea.

An Israeli forensic team has found the bodies of six Jews at Nariman House, an orthodox Jewish centre which was occupied by the attackers, according to Israeli officials, while up to five other bodies remain unidentified.

Indian officials now put the death toll at 172, with nearly 300 people injured. 

US Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice is to visit New Delhi on Wednesday to show "solidarity with the people of India". She called on Islamabad to show "absolute" co-operation and "total transparency" with the investigation into the attacks.