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November 28, 2008 INDIA's Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee has held 'some elements in Pakistan' responsible for Mumbai attacks. This combined with what Dr Manmohan Singh said a day earlier points to an imminent end to the bonhomie that characterized relations between India and Pakistan for a brief period. Dr Singh had said that he would take up with neighbours the use of their territory for attacks on India. He also said there would be "cost" to "our neighbours" if their territory was found to have been used as launching pad. Maj Gen R.K. Gooda who is leading the operation against the attackers alleged that they had come from Faridkot in Pakistan. One wonders why the conclusions are being drawn so hastily without waiting for a proper inquiry. Interestingly the General who spoke when the operation was still continuing didn't know that Faridkot was in India rather than Pakistan. The attacks have initiated a debate among security experts all over the world about the possible origin of the plan to attack Mumbai and the identity of the attackers, with none categorically pointing fingers to a single direction. According to one claim one of the terrorist arrested from the scene is of Pakistani origin. After a string of bombings that shook India this year, the government was being advised to put its act together. What it did was to arrest dozens of young Muslims, which added to a feeling of alienation that already persists among the Indian Muslims.




