New Delhi bombings have "external" links: Indian PM

NEW DELHI, Tuesday (AFP) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed his dismay to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf Monday that those behind the New Delhi bombings appeared to have external links.

"We continue to be disturbed and dismayed at indications of the external linkages of terrorist groups with the October 29 bombing," Singh said in a telephone call initiated by Musharraf, according to the Indian foreign office.

"India expects Pakistan to act against terrorism directed at India," a foreign office statement quoted Singh as telling Musharraf during their 10-minute telephone conversation.

"The prime minister again drew the president's attention to Pakistan's commitment to ending cross-border terrorism," the statement said, referring to an earlier commitement made by Musharraf in January 2004.

This is the first time India has indicated the possibility of Pakistani involvement in Saturday's blasts that killed 62 people as they shopped at two busy markets in the run up to the major Hindu festival of Diwali. A third bomb exploded on a bus.

Pakistan rejected Singh's comments calling on the prime minister to produce evidence that groups from Pakistan were involved.

Pakistan called on India to provide evidence of involvement of Pakistani militant groups in the weekend bomb blasts in New Delhi, while promising full cooperation in investigations. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Islamabad was ready to extend full cooperation in the investigation. "The President has said we are ready to cooperate in the investigations," ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said. "But evidence has to be shared with us."

"In the absence of that it will be just a claim. While pointing fingers on any Pakistan entity, they should also share evidence with us."

An obscure Kashmiri militant group, Islami Inqilabi Mahaz (the Islamic Revolutionary Front) claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Indian analysts and police said the Mahaz was linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist militant group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir that was banned by Pakistan in 2002.A Lashkar-e-Taiba spokesman said the group was not involved in the attacks and had no links to the Mahaz.The Delhi blasts came just hours before India and Pakistan finalised a deal to open up their de facto border in disputed Kashmir to ease aid efforts after the October 8 earthquake, which killed at least 54,000.

In his telephone conversation, Singh told Musharraf that India "was outraged" at the weekend blasts which he described as "heinous acts of terrorism."

"Violence against defenceless civilians can never be justified" the statement quoting the premier as saying.

"Terrorism would never weaken Indias resolve, or our commitment to the countrys unity and territorial integrity," he said.

Earlier the UN Security Council on Monday condemned "reprehensible" bomb blasts in India over the weekend and demanded those responsible be brought to justice.