India: Pakistanis 'Must Have' Backed Mumbai Attack

Indian PM Manmohan Singh has alleged that there must have been some involvement of elements within the Pakistan Security Sevices in the planning & execution of the November attack on Mumbai.

(David Guttenfelder/Anupam Nath/AP Photo)

India's prime minister said Tuesday that Pakistani authorities "must have had" a hand in the Mumbai siege, a remark dismissed by Pakistan as propaganda that could undermine efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh repeated India's allegations that the November attacks were was carried out by the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba. But in his most forceful speech on the subject, Singh stopped just short of accusing Islamabad of directly aiding the gunmen.

"There is enough evidence to show that, given the sophistication and military precision of the attack, it must have had the support of some official agencies in Pakistan," the Indian leader said, while criticizing what he called Islamabad's reluctance to crack down on militants operating in their territory.

Singh's comments seemed aimed at keeping tensions between the bitter rivals at a slow burn and reflected widespread belief that multiple power centers run Pakistan.

Related

India Gives Mumbai Proof to Pakistan

WATCH: India-Pakistan Stalemate

Are Indian Troops Moving Toward Border?

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari meanwhile called for recognition of his country's efforts to crack down on extremists.

"We expect our friends to have the same understanding, to rise above these stateless actors who are trying to create a problem in the region," Zardari told reporters Tuesday in Afghanistan, where he was making his first official visit since being sworn in.

Pakistan's foreign ministry also dismissed Singh's comments as "a propaganda offensive" designed "to whip up tensions" in the region.

They "not only ratchet up tensions, but occlude facts and destroy all prospects of serious and objective investigations into the Mumbai attacks," the ministry said in a statement.

Singh did not name any Pakistani officials, but New Delhi has accused Pakistan's military-controlled spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, of being involved in attacks against India in recent years. Pakistan's civilian government is relatively new and weak, while the ISI is thought to have a high degree of independence.