Pakistan rejects India's demand for re-investigating 26/11

Pakistan has told India that a re-investigation of the Mumbai attack case was "not possible" as the trial was at an advanced stage and demanded "concrete" evidence against Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of 26/11 assault.

In reply to India's demand to re-investigate the 2008 case and put on trial Jamaat-ud Dawah chief Saeed, "Pakistan said the case has already been at an advanced stage," a senior interior ministry official, who is privy to the correspondence between the two countries over the matter, told PTI on Thursday.

"All proceedings (in the case) have been finalised except recording of 24 Indian witnesses' statements. At this stage, re-investigation is not possible. If India wants conclusion of the case, it should send its witnesses to Pakistan to record their statements," the official said. Saeed, who carries a bounty of USD 10 million on his head for his role in terror activities announced by the US, and his four aides are under housearrest in Lahore since January 30 under Pakistan's anti-terrorism law. The JUD chief was put under house arrest previously after the terror attack in Mumbai in which 166 people were killed by 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba men, but he was freed by a court in 2009 due to a lack of evidence against him.

On putting him on trial in that case, Pakistan has sought "concrete" evidence from India.

"India had only mentioned in its dossier that Ajmal Kasab had once met Hafiz Saeed. Thousands of people meet Saeed. That doesn't prove anything. Pakistan is willing to try Saeed in the 26/11 case provided India gives us solid evidence against him in this regard," the official quoted Pakistan government's response. He said Pakistan has also made it clear to India that the Mumbai attack case may not reach its logical conclusion without India's cooperation and India must send its 24 witnesses to Pakistan to testify.