Pakistan agrees to 48 hour for action against terrorist

Times of India:

Pakistan has agreed to a 48-hour timetable set by India and the United States to formulate a plan to take action against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and to arrest at least three Pakistanis who Indian authorities say are linked to the multiple attacks in Mumbai, a top US daily reported, citing a top Pakistani official. ( Watch )

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of diplomatic sensitivities, said India had also asked Pakistan to arrest and hand over LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi and former chief of Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Hamid Gul, in connection with the probe into the Mumbai carnage, which killed nearly 200 people, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.

This development comes in the wake of reports in the Indian media that some top Pakistan military and intelligence officials had admitted that the perpetrators of Mumbai were Pakistani terrorists owing allegiance to the Lashkar. According to the reports, Pakistan officials admitted this in Islamabad before Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chief of Staff, who conveyed it to government officials in India.

The agency report from Washington, quoting the newspaper, said that Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is expected to consult his nation's top military and intelligence officials on how to follow through on India's demands. "The next 48 hours are critical," the official was quoted as saying by the influential US daily.

A week after the terrorist assault in the Indian financial capital, Indian officials have stepped up their efforts to make a clear case of link between the carnage and Pakistani elements. According to the Post, a high-level source in the Indian government, speaking on condition of anonymity, said India has "clear and incontrovertible proof" that LeT had carried out the attacks and that the group's leaders were trained and supported by Pakistan's ISI.

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According to this story, Condi Rice has told Pakistan there is "irrefutable evidence" of Pakistani terrorist involvement in the attacks. While there are some things that Paksitan can do within 48 hours, it is unlikely it could capture all those involved. It could shut down all the Lashkar facilities and probably should. It can issue arrest warrants for those who were involved.