Agencies/Thiruvananthapuram
Home Minister P Chidambaram yesterday said a key suspect in the 2008 Mumbai attacks had provided information confirming Pakistani “state support” for the deadly assault. Abu Hamza, also known as Sayed Zabiuddin, an Indian-born member of the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, was detained at Delhi international airport on June 21 when he arrived from the Middle East. Police believe he was one of the handlers based in the Pakistani city Karachi, who issued orders by telephone to 10 gunmen as they stormed two luxury hotels, a Jewish centre, a restaurant and a train station in Mumbai. The November 2008 attacks, which India has blamed on Lashkar-e-Taiba, left 166 people dead and more than 300 wounded. Chidambaram, speaking to reporters in the Kerala capital, said police interrogation of Hamza had confirmed Indian accusations that Pakistani state actors were also involved. “The argument that non-state actors were behind the massacre is no longer valid. He has confirmed that he was in the control room (and) this has confirmed our suspicion that there was some organised effort,” Chidambaram said. “When I say, state actors, at the moment, I am not pointing my finger at any particular agency. “But clearly there was state support or state actors’ support for the 26/11 massacre,” the home minister said. Pakistan has asked India to share information on Hamza and has urged New Delhi to refrain from blaming Islamabad. “India should supply details about Abu Hamza, enabling us to take action,” Pakistan’s adviser on interior affairs, Rehman Malik, told a news conference in Islamabad. Pakistan can respond only after India shares information and “we see Abu Hamza’s statement,” Malik said. “Let us end the blame game... We have to fight terrorism together,” Malik added. Pakistan, which has firmly denied allegations that state actors were involved, has indicted seven people for their alleged role in the attacks. Their trial, which began in 2009, has been beset by delays. The US has offered a $10mn reward for information leading to the conviction of Lashkar founder Hafiz Saeed who lives openly in Pakistan and is accused of masterminding the Mumbai attacks. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna asked Pakistan to shed its “selective” approach to terror and join hands in eliminating the scourge from the region. The statement comes ahead of foreign secretary-level talks and days after the arrest of Hamza.“Whenever there is a bilateral meeting, we have always focused on terrorism and terror-related issues. We have been impressing upon Pakistan to come out openly to declare war on terrorism which should be across the board and not selective,” Krishna told reporters in New Delhi.“While Pakistan claims it is a victim of terror, they should join hands with India so that terror and terror-related issues can be eliminated,” he said. “It is India’s hope as always that Pakistan will fully co-operate with India in normalising relations.” Krishna was responding to a question on whether the revelations made by Hamza about the role of Pakistani terrorists in 26/11 mayhem will figure in talks between the foreign secretaries of the two countries on July 4 and 5.Also yesterday a Delhi court dismissed the Mumbai police’s application seeking the Hamza’s custody.Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav passed the order after the Delhi police opposed the plea of their Mumbai counterparts. The court said it would not be appropriate to reduce the days of custody of the Delhi police - granted by a court until July 5 - as investigations were going on. l A US expert has asked Islamabad to take action against all those involved in the Mumbai attack, including serving intelligence officials.Hamza’s alleged confession that “Pakistani intelligence officials were present in the control room from which he directed the attackers is explosive,” wrote Lisa Curtis, senior research fellow for South Asia at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation. Chidambaram: sees Pakistan’s hand