Pakistan angrily denies Mumbai claims
Published: Jan. 7, 2009 at 8:07 AM
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Pakistani leaders say Indian suggestions that official agencies may have been involved in training November's Mumbai terrorists are pushing the region to war.
Tuesday's statement by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the sophistication of the terror attacks pointed to the involvement of "some official agencies in Pakistan" has infuriated officials in Islamabad, who called the statement "irresponsible," the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
"Vilifying Pakistan or … any of its state institutions on this score is unwarranted and unacceptable," the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement. "This is a sure way to close avenues of cooperation in combating this menace."
"If India takes military action against Pakistan, it would be a big mistake," the Times quoted Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir telling Pakistani lawmakers. "India is pushing this region to war."
India blames the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba for the Mumbai attacks, an assessment that U.S. intelligence supports. Pakistan has acknowledged that "non-state actors" may have played a role, but has vehemently denied official involvement even though Lashkar-e-Toiba has historical ties to Pakistan's spy agency, the Times reported.
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