India/Pakistan

Deadly bomb in Peshawar, Delhi claims proof of Mumbai attack links

Article published on the 2008-12-05 Latest update 2008-12-05 16:40 TU

Students burn Pakistan's flag in the Indian state of Gujarat
(Photo: Reuters)

At least 12 people were killed by a bomb in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Friday. India increased presure on Islamabad with a claim from new Interior Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram to have "ample evidence" that the Mumbai attacks were the work of previously identified organisations, a clear reference to Pakistan-based groups.  

The bomb in the capital of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, Peshawar, exploded on a marketplace, killing at least 20 people shopping for the Muslim festival of Eid and injured up to 70.

The blast was near a Shia-Muslim mosque, although there is no proof that it is one of several sectarian attacks on the religious minority.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari is in Turkey to meet his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul and Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai. Turkish officials sayb that rising tension with India over the Mumbai attacks will be on the agenda.

In India new Interior Minister Chidambaram made a clear reference to Pakistani groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba when he said that he had proof of who was behind the Mumbai attacks.

"There is ample evidence to show that the source of the terrorist attack was clearly linked to organisations which have in the past been identified as being behind terrorist attacks in India," he declared.

He announced a final death toll of 172, nine of whom were attackers, with 293 injured.

"We have told the world that the people of India have felt a sense of hurt and anger as never before due to the Mumbai terror strikes," said  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after meeting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The European Union is to offer increased aid and dialogue with Pakistan to help fight political violence there, according to leaked documents to be discussed by foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.