NEW DELHI: After weeks of cussed denials, Pakistan finally came around to acknowledging that Ajmal Kasab, the captured Mumbai terrorist, could be Pakistani.
The confirmation, by information minister Sherry Rehman to a news agency, is a small but significant step. She said, "We are confirming he is a Pakistani, but investigations are still going on."
Signficantly, late-night reports from Pakistan said that national security advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani had been sacked for acknowledging that Kasab could be Pakistani. According to the reports, Durrani had made the statement without checking with the government.
Although Rehman hedged her statement and Pakistani foreign secretary Salman Bashir officially refused to confirm it, the fact is, a window could have opened up. It would be the most important fallout of the dossier diplomacy by India over the past couple of days, which was as much a public relations exercise as a way to pressure Pakistan into acting. If Pakistan does indeed acknowledge Kasab's identity, it will be because it was left with absolutely no other option.
While the government here said there was no official confirmation of Pakistan acknowledging Kasab's identity, if Pakistan does so, it could break the logjam of charges and counter-charges between the two countries.
It would be seen as a huge concession by Islamabad, after weeks of denial had Indian leaders almost purple with rage and frustration. It will be seen as a diplomatic breakthrough by the US, which has said it has been pushing Pakistan to "act" on Indian demands.
But an important aspect of the Pakistani confirmation is the absolute denial of Kasab's links with any official agencies, something Pakistan has stressed since PM Manmohan Singh on Tuesday declared that Pakistan's ISI was involved. Clearly, they will want to insulate the ISI from attack.
Pakistan's hesitant acknowledgement comes as US official Richard Boucher arrives in Delhi on Thursday for talks with foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon and, unusually, to meet foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee. He is expected to brief the Indian government on his talks in Islamabad.
In fact, a series of meetings between US ambassador David Mulford and Mukherjee and NSA M K Narayanan through the day spoke of the next steps in the investigation and the diplomatic waltz that is being conducted between these three countries.
India could contemplate the next step of pushing Pakistan to investigate the training, planning and execution of the attacks, which would potentially open a can of worms in Pakistan.
But Pakistan could have the last word, by seeking access to Kasab and embarking on its own investigation.
This could take ages and India would be asked to hold its horses by the international community while Pakistan went through the motions.
But the Mumbai attacks were of a different quality and scale, so it will be difficult for India to let go of the ball.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Finally_Pakistan_admits_Kasab_is_a_Pakistani/articleshow/3948424.cms
The confirmation, by information minister Sherry Rehman to a news agency, is a small but significant step. She said, "We are confirming he is a Pakistani, but investigations are still going on."
Signficantly, late-night reports from Pakistan said that national security advisor Mahmud Ali Durrani had been sacked for acknowledging that Kasab could be Pakistani. According to the reports, Durrani had made the statement without checking with the government.
Although Rehman hedged her statement and Pakistani foreign secretary Salman Bashir officially refused to confirm it, the fact is, a window could have opened up. It would be the most important fallout of the dossier diplomacy by India over the past couple of days, which was as much a public relations exercise as a way to pressure Pakistan into acting. If Pakistan does indeed acknowledge Kasab's identity, it will be because it was left with absolutely no other option.
While the government here said there was no official confirmation of Pakistan acknowledging Kasab's identity, if Pakistan does so, it could break the logjam of charges and counter-charges between the two countries.
It would be seen as a huge concession by Islamabad, after weeks of denial had Indian leaders almost purple with rage and frustration. It will be seen as a diplomatic breakthrough by the US, which has said it has been pushing Pakistan to "act" on Indian demands.
But an important aspect of the Pakistani confirmation is the absolute denial of Kasab's links with any official agencies, something Pakistan has stressed since PM Manmohan Singh on Tuesday declared that Pakistan's ISI was involved. Clearly, they will want to insulate the ISI from attack.
Pakistan's hesitant acknowledgement comes as US official Richard Boucher arrives in Delhi on Thursday for talks with foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon and, unusually, to meet foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee. He is expected to brief the Indian government on his talks in Islamabad.
In fact, a series of meetings between US ambassador David Mulford and Mukherjee and NSA M K Narayanan through the day spoke of the next steps in the investigation and the diplomatic waltz that is being conducted between these three countries.
India could contemplate the next step of pushing Pakistan to investigate the training, planning and execution of the attacks, which would potentially open a can of worms in Pakistan.
But Pakistan could have the last word, by seeking access to Kasab and embarking on its own investigation.
This could take ages and India would be asked to hold its horses by the international community while Pakistan went through the motions.
But the Mumbai attacks were of a different quality and scale, so it will be difficult for India to let go of the ball.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Finally_Pakistan_admits_Kasab_is_a_Pakistani/articleshow/3948424.cms
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