Mumbai attackers had Pakistani links: US

PHOTO OP: US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher (R) with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

ibnlive.com is on mobile now. Read news, watch videos
be a Citizen Journalist. Log on to m.ibnlive.com NOW!

Top Headlines

Top Videos

Most Popular

• I took calculated risks for higher growth: Pranab  

• Udayan's View: Budget 2009, a game of patience 

• A study in comparison: Education budget up Rs 7K cr 

• Face The Budget: Political response to Budget 09-10 

• The verdict: CNN-IBN panelists rate Pranab's Budget  

• Reform hopes dashed, market watchers feel let down  

• I-T exemption limit raised | FBT rolled back | Taxes and you 

• Pranab skips two paras of Budget speech, apologises 

• Bengal benefits, Mamata and Pranab budget for their state 

• Income tax limits raised; farmers, exporters get sops 

• Watch: Dalal Street reacts to the Budget 

• Budget: Pranab's chance to create his own legacy 

• FM has done a fairly good job: Narayana Murthy 

• Budget to focus on social spend, growth 

• Education reform will be for all Indians: Sibal 

• The Budget That Isn't: Cyrus gears up for Budget 

• EVMs are tamper proof, says Election Commission 

• Watch: Railway exams disrupted in Mysore, Banglaore 

• Watch: Maneka writes to PM over threat to Varun's life 

• One-upmanship: Sonia, Pawar in foodgrain politics 

• Life saving drugs, LCDs cheaper; Set-top-box costlier 

• Buy that big car: SUVs, petrol trucks to cost less 

• Defence budget unchanged; Army gets lion's share 

• Minimum Rs 30 lakh needed to be called wealthy 

• TAX BREAKS, WELFARE SCHEMES IN COMMON MAN'S BUDGET 

• Common man gets a treat, over 15 schemes 

• Health budget up by Rs 4,000 cr, 6 new AIIMS in cities 

• Bengal benefits, Mamata and Pranab budget for their state 

• Full text: Union Budget 2009 

• Software industry gets tax benefits for one more yr 

Photogallery

Find us on Facebook | Join IBNLive community

Stay ahead with G-Talk Buddy | Click now!

Islamabad: US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher met top Pakistani leaders including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani on Monday.

Boucher said his talks with the leaders had been fruitful, and in an off camera briefing to the Pakistani media, Boucher agreed there was evidence of Islamabad's links to the Mumbai attackers.

"It is clear that the attackers had links that lead to Pakistani soil," Boucher was quoted as saying by PTI.

.

Boucher, whose arrival in Islamabad coincided with India handing over evidence about the terrorist attacks to Pakistan, said the US wants Islamabad to investigate the information provided by New Delhi, follow available leads and track down perpetrators so that similar attacks do not occur in future.

India and Pakistan both had "pieces of the puzzle" and need to cooperate, Boucher told the news conference at the US Embassy in Islamabad after talks with the country's top leadership.

"The two sides need to exchange information," he said, adding that India and Pakistan need to work together as this alone will ensure that the perpetrators of the attacks are tracked down.

The US had a "direct interest" in the probe as six of its citizens were killed in the Mumbai attacks, he said, adding, "We are interested that those responsible must be found."

The "scene of the crime" is in India and authorities there have made some arrests. At the same time, Pakistan had detained persons involved in the planning and execution of the attacks, he said.

Both sides will now have to follow up on the available information, Boucher said.

Asked whether the US believed Pakistan's state institutions, including the ISI, was linked to the strikes, Boucher said: "Let us find out from the evidence (handed over by India) who was involved in these attacks" and "not jump to conclusions".

(With inputs from PTI)