New Delhi, Oct 24: In the midst of a controversy
over National Security Advisor M K Narayanan's comments, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said there was "credible
evidence" of Pakistani involvement in the July 11 train blasts
in Mumbai.
"All I can say is that there is credible evidence", he
told reporters who asked him about the comments made by
Narayanan that there was "pretty good" but not "clinching"
evidence of ISI's involvement while Union Home Secretary V K
Duggal spoke of fairly solid evidence.
On the Indo-Pak joint mechanism to fight terrorism, he
Said, "it is a trial. We have to experiment... we have to talk
as we are not going to war with Pakistan".
Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who will be the new
External Affairs Minister, said India will share information
with Pakistan regarding the Mumbai blasts and see the response
from the other side.
"We will exchange information with Pakistan. After that
we have to see how they react," he said.
On the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement, Mukherjee said
the US government had given "assurance that they will try
their level best to see the deal through."
Uncertainty is looming large over the fate of the deal as
a bill on the issue has not yet been put to vote in the US
Senate whose tenure expired this month. Now hopes are pinned
on the 'lame-duck' session expected to meet after the November
7 congressional elections.
With regard to the External Affairs portfolio being given
to him, Mukherjee said, "it is the prerogative of the Prime
Minister to shuffle cabinet."
Govt in process of deciding on Afzal’s mercy plea’
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on Tuesday night said government is in the process of deciding on the
plea for clemency for Jaish-e-Mohammed militant Mohd Afzal
sentenced to death in Parliament attack case and law will take
its own course.
"The legal process is on. The due process will be
followed. Law will take its own course," he told reporters
after the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The mercy plea has been sent to the Union Home Ministry
by President A P J Abdul Kalam for the government's view. The
Home Ministry is awaiting a report from the government of
Delhi, where the crime had taken place, on the issue.
A trial court had ordered Afzal's hanging on October 20
but the execution of the sentence has been put on hold
following the mercy plea.
While Afzal was given capital punishment in the December
13, 2001 attack, Shaukat Hussain Guru was sentenced to 10
years' imprisonment.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, October 24, 2006, 00:00