In a blow to India's claims, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has made it clear that while the Mumbai attack may have been planned in Pakistan, official agencies like the ISI were not associated with it. He also added that extraditing suspects to India was not an option and neither were economic sanctions against Pakistan.
However, the Foreign Secretary said that he does not support India's demand for extraditing terrorists from Pakistan and also said that economic sanctions against Pakistan was not an option.
Excerpts from the exclusive interview:
David Miliband: We are in absolutely no doubt about the origins of the attack in Mumbai in November. The origins are in Pakistan and there have been some detentions in Pakistan, and they now need to lead to successful prosecution. We believe the evidence is there for that.
Karan Thapar: You used a very important word just now. You said 'we believe the evidence is there' so do you see the dossier as containing evidence?
David Miliband: We have our own evidence which we have shown to the Pakistani authorities, and we believe that that is the right evidence. The Indian dossier that has been handed over is something that is obviously something we are looking at.
We don't have evidence to show that the attacks were directed by the Pakistani government, what we do know, and this is public knowledge, is that the Pakistani government has had a policy towards Lashkar-e-Toiba, under the previous regime of President Pervez Musharraf.
Karan Thapar: How does the British government view the steps that Pakistan has so far taken?
David Miliband: A start, a start, that’s all it is.
Karan Thapar: India feels that what it is seeing is a state of denial, what they call flip flops, or contradictory statements, and can you understand that to India this looks as if Pakistan is far from cooperating. It is actually trying very hard not to cooperate.
David Miliband: Well yes, I can understand that, and I think it is therefore important that people like me from Britain, which itself suffers from attacks that originate in Pakistan, are absolutely clear about the responsibilities of the Pakistani authorities.
Karan Thapar: Will Britain support India's demand for extradition?
David Miliband: We will support their prosecution under Pakistani law.
Karan Thapar: But not extradition?
David Miliband: Well no, because they have broken the law in Pakistan. I don't think punishing the Pakistani people with economic sanctions is going to induce the change that is necessary. In fact it undermines precisely the kind of support that is necessary.
(Catch the entire conversation with the British Foreign Secretary on Devil's Advocate on Sunday at 2030 hours IST on CNN-IBN)
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