World | Pakistan
Disclosure had security agencies' nod - Durrani
Security agencies had authorised confirmation that the lone surviving gunman involved in the Mumbai terror attacks was a Pakistani national, the former national security adviser said yesterday.
- Reuters
- Published: 23:38 January 8, 2009
Islamabad: Security agencies had authorised confirmation that the lone surviving gunman involved in the Mumbai terror attacks was a Pakistani national, the former national security adviser said yesterday. Mahmoud Ali Durrani said he was sacked only because Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had been left out of the loop.
India has for weeks fiercely held on to the assertion that the lone gunman captured alive after the Mumbai attacks, Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, was from Pakistan but Islamabad had held that it could not find his name on a national database of citizens and that it was investigating the matter.
Gilani fired Durrani on Wednesday shortly after he and other officials had confirmed to reporters the gunman in Indian custody was a Pakistani.
Newspapers in India interpreted Durrani's dismissal as a knee-jerk reaction to his revelation of the truth about the gunman's nationality. But Durrani said authorities, including the powerful security agencies, had already decided to confirm the gunman was Pakistani.
"It had been decided yesterday that we would tell the world that he is a Pakistani because hiding that makes no sense," Durrani said in a telephone interview.
"The security agencies recommended it and they repeated it to me," he said.
India blames Pakistan militants for the strikes in November by 10 gunmen that killed 179 people and have revived tension between two nations that have fought three wars since 1947.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh stepped up a war of words on Tuesday, saying for the first time that the assault "must have had the support of some official agencies in Pakistan".
Durrani said he was dismissed because Gilani had not been informed about the decision to confirm Kasab's nationality and the prime minister had felt the need to exert his authority.
"The prime minister happened to be ignorant. He was in Lahore and he didn't know about it. He was out of the loop," Durrani said.
Gilani's office said Durrani had been sacked "for his irresponsible behaviour for not taking the prime minister and other stakeholders into confidence".
Durrani's dismissal was the latest incident since the Mumbai attacks to raise questions about who is in charge in Pakistan.
Durrani said the confirmation of Kasab's nationality should help ease tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
"Obviously, this would help the situation with India and that is the primary concern, that you tell the world, tell India, that 'yes, guys, we didn't make this announcement because we were not sure of the facts. Now we are sure of the facts and we're saying yes, he was Pakistani'."
Islamabad has rejected Singh's accusation of involvement by state agencies, saying India was ratcheting up tension and risked destroying all prospects of a serious and objective investigation.
Earlier on Wednesday, Gilani had said Pakistan's investigation was making progress. "We are prepared to take this process forward with a view to uncovering full facts, thus ensuring that the perpetrators of this heinous crime -whosoever they may be - are brought to justice," he said.
Durrani said he had been doing what was best for peace. "I have no bad conscience. I was doing what is best for Pakistan, I was doing what is best for peace between India and Pakistan. If it doesn't suit some people, then so be it."
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