‘Polemics and unfounded insinuations cannot advance the cause of justice in civilized societies. Legal processes cannot and must not be interfered with,’ said Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit while commenting on Indian External Affairs Ministry’s criticism of Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed’s release.

Hafiz Saeed was put under arrest following Mumbai attacks.

The India External Affairs Ministry expressed ‘serious doubts’ about Pakistan’s ‘sincerity’ in dealing with terrorism after Hafiz Saeed was released from house arrest on the orders of Lahore High Court.

Basit dismissed Indian concerns as ‘misplaced.’

He stressed that the Pakistani government knew its national and international obligations and had shown complete sincerity and commitment in the Mumbai attack probe.

Indian authorities, the spokesman recalled, is yet to provide an English translation of the information material about the Mumbai attack which they handed over to Pakistan on May 20 in Hindi and Marathi languages.

Yousuf Raza Gilani’s remarks will likely anger New Delhi, which says the dossier provides evidence that Pakistani militants staged the November slaughter of 164 people.

Pakistan has detained some suspects alleged linked to the attacks and admitted the only gunman who survived was Pakistani.

But it has remained careful not to characterize the dossier as anything approaching proof of Pakistani involvement.

In his late Tuesday statement, Gilani said Pakistan was still examining the dossier.

He also urged “pragmatic cooperation” between the countries. -AP

He said the information, received on January 5, needs to be carefully examined which has been sent to the Ministry of Interior for necessary inquiry in accordance with the law.

The results of the inquiry, the Prime Minister added, will be shared with the government of India in due course of time.

“We are prepared to cooperate with India to uncover full facts and hence offered to India for joint inquiry.”

India has, however, not responded to Pakistan’s proposals and hoped they will see merit in it and accept joint inquiry, he added.

“Serious sustained and pragmatic cooperation is the way forward.”

The Prime Minister reiterated that the country condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and said Pakistan was among the first to condemn Mumbai terror attacks.

Speaking after talks with the Indian foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee, he said he didn’t believe the Pakistani government ordered the attacks.

But, he said it was absolutely clear Pakistan was the origin of the terrorist strike and he says the government has a responsibility to bring the perpetrators to justice.

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Comment: The “do more Pakistan” policy continues. The policy of keep repeating the lies until they are believed to be facts continues against Pakistan. What can Pakistan do to get to the bottom of terrorist attacks when its own soil has been the victim of terrorist attacks for past two, three years? When India has not provided any evidence what so ever in regards to the Mumbai terrorist attacks? In fact, India has not shared any evidence related to Mumbai attacks with interpol either. Why repeat such absurd lies and ask Pakistan to do more when many international organizations have ruled out any Pakistan involvement in the Mumbai terrorist attacks?

The South Asian rivals, whose relations have been rocky since the deadly November attacks on India’s financial centre Mumbai, have exchanged the lists annually since 1992, under an agreement that came into force the previous year.

“The lists have been exchanged at the foreign ministries in New Delhi and Islamabad,” a spokesman for the foreign office in Islamabad, Mohammad Sadiq, told AFP.

Under the agreement, both sides are to refrain from attacking nuclear facilities in the event of a war. The neighbours have also set up a telephone hotline to prevent accidental nuclear conflict.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is divided between them but claimed in full by both.

The two countries came close to another war in 2002 after an attack on the Indian parliament that New Delhi blamed on the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba — the same group it blames for the carnage in Mumbai.

But after deploying hundreds of thousands of troops to the border, Islamabad and New Delhi retreated following intense international mediation. In 2004, they launched a peace process, but that is now on hold following the Mumbai attacks.

US President George W. Bush on Wednesday spoke with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. The White House said all had agreed on the need to avoid any increase in tensions.

Pakistan on Tuesday asked India to resume dialogue and urged New Delhi to de-activate its forward air bases and redeploy troops to peacetime locations, but India denied it had moved troops into offensive positions on the border.

India conducted nuclear weapons tests in May 1998. Pakistan, in a tit-for-tat response, detonated its own devices a few days later.

In October 2005, the two sides formalised an agreement on pre-notification of ballistic missile tests.

This is India’s biggest ever defence deal with the US. According to reports, the deal was signed on January 1 by Preeti Sudan, Indian Defence Ministry’s Joint Secretary and and Boeing integrated defence systems vice-president and country head Vivek Lall.

The P-8 is a modification of the P-8A Poseidon Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft currently being developed for US Navy. It is a tailored version for the Indian Navy.

The aircraft will bolster Indian Navy’s maritime patrolling capabilities and extend its reach upto 600 nautical miles. It is fitted with weapons like torpedoes, depth bombs and anti-ship missiles.

The Indian Navy currently has eight Russian Tupolev-142M Turboprops.

The first P-81 is expected to be delivered by 2012-end or early-2013. The rest will be delivered by 2016.

In November 2006, the Indian Navy had expressed an interest in the aircraft as a replacement for its existing fleet of IL-38 aircraft that are nearing the end of their service life.