The Mumbai attacks of 2008 were carried out by terror groups based in Pakistan, former Pakistani National Security Adviser Major General Mahmud Ali Durrani (retd.) said on Monday.
“But the government of Pakistan or the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was not involved. I am 110% sure of it,” he said at the 19th edition of the Asian Security Conference on ‘Combating Terrorism: Evolving an Asian Response,’ organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.
In 2009, he was sacked from the post of NSA after he called for action against those responsible for the Mumbai attacks.
Responding to questions on the Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief, Mr. Durrani said Hafiz Saeed had no utility for Pakistan. “He should be punished.”
India has repeatedly submitted proof of Mr. Saeed’s role in the Mumbai attacks and has called for action by Pakistan.
However, Pakistan has maintained that there was no “concrete evidence” against him.
Delivering the inaugural address at the conference, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said terrorism was the single biggest threat to international peace and security. India, he said, would continue to work tirelessly for a cohesive global response.
“While the threat of terrorism is transnational, the response does not appear to be coordinated. Even though there is a broad consensus on what constitutes an act of terror, a formal agreement is missing,” Mr. Parrikar said.
The only way to end terrorism was by ending cross-border terrorism, Mohammad Hanif Atmar, National Security Adviser of Afghanistan, said in an apparent reference to Pakistan.
“Let’s designate individuals sponsoring terrorism and hiding behind states.”
(With inputs from PTI)
