Pakistan committed to helping India in Mumbai probe : Rice

PAKISTAN: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday she found Pakistan’s leaders to be “focused and committed” in helping India probe attacks in Mumbai that stoked tension between the two countries.

“I found the Pakistani leadership very focused and committed to act,” she told reporters after talks with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and senior army officials.

The top US diplomat flew into Islamabad to defuse tensions between India and Pakistan after New Delhi blamed elements in Pakistan for last week’s attacks in India’s commercial hub.

“Everybody wants to prevent further attacks,” she said, referring to the Mumbai atrocities. “This was not talk about military action, this was talk about how to deal with this particular problem.”

Rice, who visited India on Wednesday ahead of the Islamabad trip, flew out of Pakistan around 1.30 pm (0830 GMT).

She said she spoke “at length (about) the attacks in Mumbai” and about the importance of Pakistan taking responsibility to deal with “those who may use Pakistani territory even if they are a non state actor.”

Rice said the two sides also had extensive discussions on “continuing cooperation” against joint enemies in the war on terror, extremists who continue to strike across the world and those who have struck here in Pakistan.

Islamabad, Thursday, AFP