Interior, FO at odds

ISLAMABAD Since the Kasab case has got a twist following the lone arrested Mumbai attacker Ajmal Amir Kasabs retraction from his earlier statement, Foreign Office and Interior Ministry are at odds with each other and a little bit confused over the development, TheNation has learnt. Kasab has recently retracted from his previous statement in which he had confessed his role in the 26/11 terror attacks last year. Ironically, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior are keeping mum following the Kasabs retraction. To the shock of many, Pakistan is yet to consider Kasabs request of getting Pakistani lawyer to plead his case in India. When contacted by TheNation, officials of Foreign and Interior Ministries declined to comment on this burning issue. You better talk to Spokesperson of Foreign Office regarding your queries about Kasabs case, a spokesperson of Ministry of Interior Rashid Mazari said when contacted by this correspondent. Interestingly, officials of Ministry of Foreign Affairs insist this correspondent to contact officials of Interior Department regarding this issue as according to them, the matters refer to them. According to sources from the Interior Ministry, authorities were expected to ask India to send another dossier as the earlier dossier has lost importance following the Kasabs retraction. The sources told TheNation that main source of information in the Indian dossier, however, remained the alleged arrested accused Kasab, saying that he was forced and tortured to make those statements by his captors. It is surprising that the Indian government is constantly insisting that Pakistan must act upon the information that is more than 90 per cent based upon the statement of the accused that he made under the custody on February 21, 2009 before lady Magistrate R.V. Sawant Waghule. Pakistan has said that the fresh dossier provided by India is inadequate to prosecute the alleged mastermind and facilitators of the Mumbai attacks being tried by an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi. Earlier, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit, at a press briefing also expressed dissatisfaction over the India dossier, saying the evidence given by New Delhi against Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was inadequate. It also needs to be underlined that we have received information material from India, but the material contained in that dossier regarding Hafiz Saeed is not really enough and doesnt strengthen our hands to proceed legally, he said. Several developments have taken place during the course of the year and, unfortunately, not exactly in favour of the peace process. As a matter of fact, the Indo-Pak relations remain strained for the time being. On the Pakistans side, the government as well as the people of Pakistan strongly support dialogue with the India. Although a small circle of Pakistanis sees it as a futile exercise because (in its views) Indias government and people are not on the same page. Hopes of resumption of Pakistan-India dialogue are fading away rapidly - thanks to the Indian government. Pakistan has recently freed as many as 100 fishermen in order to send a pleasant message to the government and people of India. However, the Indian government is yet to come up with a reply of the same kind.

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