President: Pakistan not responsible for Mumbai attacks

Source: Xinhua | 12-04-2008 07:57

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan was in no way responsible for Mumbai attacks, the News Network International (NNI) news agency reported on Wednesday.

A shopkeeper cleans the shop near Nariman house where terrorist attack took place in Mumbai, India, Nov. 30, 2008. After the final siege at the Taj Mahal hotel,  lives of people live in Mumbai began to return to normal. But the main areas, which were attacked by the terrorists, are still blocked by the police.(Xinhua/Liu Sui Wai)

In an interview with Cable News Network (CNN), Zardari also said there was no evidence that a suspect in custody was a Pakistani national as Indian officials claimed, according to the NNI.

Zardari pointed out that the state of Pakistan was not involved and was part of the victims and he was sorry for the Indians.

Talking about the terrorist captured by Indian police during the attacks, Zardari said, "We have not been given any tangible proof to say that he is definitely a Pakistani. I very much doubt it that he is a Pakistani."

These are stateless actors who have been operating all throughout the region, Zardari said, the gunmen plus the planners, whoever they were, were stateless actors who had been holding hostage the whole world.

The NNI quoted Zardari as saying that he was willing to have Pakistani security officials to join forces with India in a joint investigation.