India has urged Islamabad to bring the Mumbai attackers to justice after Pakistan admitted the raid was partly planned on its soil.
In parliament, Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee berated Pakistan for taking so much time in its admission.
He said Pakistan should bear the “primary onus of responsibility” for the Mumbai attacks.
Relations have worsened considerably since the attacks by 10 gunmen, which claimed more than 170 lives.
‘Diversionary’
Speaking in parliament, Mr Mukherjee made it clear that while Pakistan’s response was welcome, the pressure on it would continue.
He said there was conclusive evidence the attacks were planned and executed from Pakistan’s territory.
“The Mumbai attacks were a crime committed on India, the conspiracy for which was hatched, planned and organised in Pakistan,” Mr Mukherjee said.
“The primary onus of responsibility lies on Pakistan to fully unveil the conspiracy, identify those guilty and act in a transparent and verifiable manner.”
Mr Mukherjee said Mumbai was by no means the first or only attack on India “linked to the infrastructure of terrorism in Pakistan”.
“Nonetheless, with Mumbai a threshold was crossed and it was imperative that Pakistan act credibly against that infrastructure to prevent further attacks.”
The minister said Pakistan’s initial response was “diversionary” and “not appropriate” and that it had only responded after four petitions.
Pakistan’s immediate reaction to the attack was characterised by “prevarication, denial, diversionary tactics and a misplaced sense of victimhood”, he said.
“Throughout, the attempt was to divert attention from the terrorist attack and Pakistan’s responsibilities to other issues.”
Mr Mukherjee said that Pakistan must work to prevent further such attacks.
On Friday, Pakistan said India must “come clean” about those on its own soil who were involved in the Mumbai attacks.
The foreign ministry said: “Pakistan expects India to come clean on the multiple facets of the Mumbai tragedy and expose the names of persons and entities in India who were also responsible for acts of commission and omission.”
It said Mr Mukherjee’s comments were “a rehash of the standard Indian line against Pakistan”.
Pakistan on Thursday admitted the attacks were partly planned on its soil and said the suspects it had arrested could be prosecuted there.
The report on Thursday was the first sign of an easing in tension between the countries over the attacks, the BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says.
Many in Delhi were genuinely surprised at what some saw as a major turn-around by the Pakistani authorities, our correspondent says.
Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said eight suspects from the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group could face prosecution.
“Some part of the conspiracy has taken place in Pakistan,” he told a news conference in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
He said six of the suspects were in custody while two others remained at large.
“The attackers left from Karachi on a boat hired from Balochistan [Province],” Mr Malik said.
“An e-mail claiming responsibility for the attack was sent by Zarrar Shah of the Lashkar-e-Taiba.”
Mr Shah was arrested at a Lashkar camp in December in Pakistani-administered Kashmir by security forces.
Another man arrested at the time was Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, described as Lashkar’s chief of operations.
Mr Malik named Hamad Amin, a Karachi resident currently in Pakistani custody, as the mastermind behind the attacks.
The Pakistani report has angered militant groups in Kashmir.
Syed Sadaqat Hussain, a spokesman for the United Jihad Council, said Pakistan was “succumbing to American pressure”.
Source: BBC News
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