Pakistan offers full co-op in probe of Mumbai terror attacks, 59-hour Mumbai siege comes to end

Pakistan offers full co-op in probe of Mumbai terror attacks

2008-11-29 23:39:42

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) --

Pakistan will stand by India in the difficult times after the Mumbai terrorist attacks and would like to offer India full cooperation in the probe of the incident, the foreign office said in a statement on Saturday.

Addressing a news conference here, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the Pakistani government was unanimous in condemnation of the barbaric acts of terrorism and offered condolences to the government of India and the bereaved families.

Pakistan is prepared to offer unconditional support and assistance to unearth who was behind this attack, Qureshi said adding that Pakistani government attached the great importance to the friendly and good neighborly relations with India.

Qureshi clarified that India had not blamed the Pakistani government for involvement in the incident. He also urged Indian media to act responsibly, with a clear reference to some Indian media reports pointing fingers at Pakistan for the attacks in Mumbai.

He pointed out that finger-pointing and "hasty conclusions would only serve the terrorists" interests.

Qureshi said that no evidence had been offered to Pakistan by India. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, when talking to CNN-IBN TV on Saturday, said Pakistan would take quick action in front of the world if any evidence indicated the involvement of any individual or group in any part of Pakistan.

Responding to a question, Qureshi said that Pakistan was not on the defensive because Pakistan had nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of.

He also pledged that Pakistan would combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations because Pakistani people were also victims of terrorism.

Talking about his visit to India, Qureshi said his engagements with the Indian leadership and officials were constructive and fruitful.

59-hour Mumbai terror siege comes to end

2008-11-29 15:56:45

·India's longest terror nightmare that lasted for almost 59 hours ended Saturday. ·Scores of hostages Friday finally walked out of the two hotels and the Jewish center. ·Fourteen militants were killed, while one has been captured.

MUMBAI, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- India's longest terror nightmare that lasted for almost 59 hours ended Saturday as commandos from the National Security Guard (NSG), the Indian Army and the Indian Navy eliminated three militants who had taken over the iconic Taj Mahal hotel.

"Finally, we have been able to win the battle and do the job (assigned to us)," NSG head J.K. Dutt told reporters.

Plumes of thick, black smoke billowed out of the ground floor windows at the hotel's northern end after two retail outlets were torched Saturday to smoke out the militants.

Some 200 commandos from the NSG, the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Mumbai police launched the attack, Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) reported.

Saturday was the culmination of a four-day anti-militant operation that began Wednesday evening when several armed men, probably two dozen and armed with grenades and automatic rifles, sneaked into the city by boat.

Police later said that the militants divided themselves into several groups and quickly struck several places in south Mumbai, including the Taj Mahal hotel, the nearby Oberoi-Trident hotel and a Jewish center.

They shot at people indiscriminately and hurled grenades, killing over 150 people.

On Friday, the commandos first took control of the Oberoi hotel and then the Jewish center. Thousands living all around the building took to the streets, shouting slogans and hailing the security forces.

But the three gunmen at the Taj Mahal held on despite being outnumbered by well-trained commandos.

A total of 25 explosions, small and big, were heard in the hotel all through Friday, and gunfire rattled the hotel and fires frequently erupted from different rooms, IANS reported.

Scores of hostages, many of them westerners, Friday finally walked out of the two hotels and the Jewish center after two nights and days of trauma and a narrow brush with death. A few broke down while others were too stunned to react when the commandos found them, hiding in their rooms, IANS said.

The NSG lost two men, and 14 Mumbai police personnel were killed including the head of its Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Hemant Karkare.

Fourteen militants were killed, while one has been captured, according to the IANS.

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