India/Pakistan

Islamabad under pressure as Delhi demands "strong action" on Mumbai attackers

Article published on the 2008-12-01 Latest update 2008-12-01 16:22 TU

The body of suspected militant Abu Dera Ismael Khan. Indian investigators claim the Mumbai attackers had months of commando training in Pakistan
(Photo: Reuters/Mumbai Police handout)

India has demanded that Pakistan take “strong action” against armed groups alleged to be involved in the attacks on Mumbai which cost more than 170 lives. Islamabad has responded by saying that a build-up of tension on the common border would undermine its efforts to combat the Taliban and Al-Qaeda on the frontier with Afghanistan.

In New Delhi's first formal complaint to Islamabad, India said it "expects that strong action would be taken against those elements, whosoever they may be, responsible for this outrage".

Meanwhile, the White House said Monday that it had no reason to doubt Islamabad’s denials of involvement.

The decline in Indo-Pakistan relations has sounded alarm bells in Islamabad, according to correspondent Rana Jawad.

“Pakistan government is holding crisis talks with opposition leaders and likeminded political groups to come out with a joint strategy in case India does not relent its pressure on Pakistan over the allegations,” he told RFI.

“Simultaneously, the army is heavily engaged in Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in the border areas," he adds. "There too, there has been opening of talks between militants and the army because the army is considering to pull out its troops from the western border and move it to eastern border in case India decides to mobilise its forces towards the Pakistani border.”

Such a move would be a blow to the United States and the western forces operating in Afghanistan against the Taliban.

Under pressure from the Hindu-nationalist opposition over its handling of the attacks, India’s Congress Party-led government has made high-profile charges of Pakistani involvement, without making it clear whether it is blaming the government, elements in the security forces or Islamist armed groups.

The ambiguity has created resentment in Islamabad, says Jawad.