ISLAMABAD,
August 26 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Pakistan urged
Indian leaders Tuesday, August 26, to save the fledging peace process
between the nuclear neighbors and avoid seeking political mileage out
of Bombay twin bomb attacks by blaming Pakistani-linked groups.
"This
is not the time for finger-pointing, nor should Indian leaders try to
take political mileage out of this gruesome tragedy," Pakistani
Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan told the BBC.
"There
is a thaw; and I think we should maintain the momentum that has been
generated and therefore I think leaders in India should avoid issuing
negative statements because these are unhelpful."
The
group, founded in Pakistan but banned by Islamabad in January 2002, is
blamed by India for most of the attacks on its troops in
India-controlled Kashmir, and for a deadly attack on its parliament in
December 2001.
Advani
claimed that the Muslim Students Islamic Movement of India had been
working with Lashkar and could be behind the Bombay attacks.
He
demanded Islamabad to hand over 19 "wanted terrorists," and
claimed Pakistan was waging a terror campaign in India.
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Advani
dismissed Pakistan's condemnation of Bombay attacks as "mere
formality"
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Pakistan
denied the 19 men were on its soil and accused Advani of undermining
four months of conciliatory moves by the two countries’ premiers.
"Pakistan
categorically rejects such allegations," Khan said in a formal
statement, asserting that "knee-jerk reactions and blaming
Pakistan for all wrongs in India is a familiar refrain that only tends
to vitiate the atmosphere."
He
underlined that it "serves no purpose to point accusing fingers
at Pakistan, and even worse to try to make domestic political capital
from such a gruesome tragedy."
Pakistan
denied harboring anyone on India's wanted list, presented last year at
the height of the military standoff between the nuclear rivals.
"Pakistan
has already made it clear that the suspects are not on its soil ...
India has so far not provided any evidence about the presence of
Indian suspects in Pakistan," Khan said.
Islamabad
has issued two formal condemnations of the attacks, the first within
hours of the bombings and a second from Foreign Minister Kurshid
Mahmud Kasuri himself on Tuesday.
But
Advani has rejected Pakistan's condemnation as "a mere
formality."
"The
progress made by India in the past 50 years is hurting Pakistan and
because of this they have waged this war of terrorism against
us," he alleged.
Wanton
Muslim
leaders also castigated India for linking the Bombay attacks to
Pakistani groups, warning that it risked derailing peace moves.
"Such
wanton blaming ... inflicts enormous damage to the peace moves and the
groundwork that has already been done for rapprochement between India
and Pakistan," Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, parliamentary leader of the
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance told AFP.
"Both
India and Pakistan should now abandon pointing fingers at each other
before holding proper investigations after such mishaps."
The
nuclear neighbors are trying to mend ties after teetering on the brink
of a fourth war for most of last year.
The
conciliation process, which has seen ambassadors reappointed and a
cross-border bus service restored since April, is on the verge of a
third key phase, with the arrival of Indian civil aviation officials
in Islamabad Tuesday for the talks in the city of Rawalpindi.
