India/Pakistan

India not sharing intelligence with Interpol, still considering military action

Article published on the 2008-12-23 Latest update 2008-12-23 12:14 TU

A mosque in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
(Credit: Reuters)

India has not shared any information about the Mumbai attacks with Interpol and there are still concerns that it has not ruled out some kind of military response against Pakistan. Representatives from Interpol met with Rehman Malik of the Pakistani Interior Ministry Tuesday about the investigation into the attacks.

“India’s government has not authorised India’s police agencies to enter any data relating to the recent terrorist attacks,” said Interpol’s Secretary General Ronald Noble after the meeting.

Noble said that Pakistan had been "very cooperative" in its efforts to help India investigate the attacks.

Interpol investigators have just been deployed in India to help New Delhi study the Mumbai attacks.

Meanwhile, India has not ruled out the possibility of taking forceful action, although there are fears that any military moves could lead to a full scale conflict. India's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Monday that India could not afford to just stand back and rely on others.

"All options" were being considered he said, when asked if military action had been ruled out.

Pakistan accused Indian fighter jets of airspace violations on 13 December, although India denies any incursion.

It is unclear who India would actually target and how any military action could focus on Lashkar-e-Taiba, the group which has been blamed for the attacks which killed 163 people.

Countries continue to urge the two countries to improve diplomatic ties. On Tuesday both the US and China said they hoped the neighbours would have more discussions to improve their relations and resolve current issues.