Islamabad:
Smarting from the US' unilateral action on its soil to take out Osama bin Laden last week, Pakistan has warned that no one "should even dare to think they can carry out a similar operation."
That message seems to go out to neighbour India too, which has asked when the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks will get justice. In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik said he had sent Home Minister P Chidambaram a private message to ensure that the Osama operation was highlighted positively.
"We resolve to end terror completely, I assure you the policy of the Pakistan government will not allow terrorists to operate from here. I have respect for Chidambaram...I sent a private message to Chidambaram that this incident should be highlighted positively. Nobody should even dare to think they can carry out similar operations," Mr Malik said.
After the Osama operation, Mr Chidambaram has pointed out that India's most wanted, men like Dawood Ibrahim and Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 attacks, are in Pakistan and walking free.
Mr Malik said the delay in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case trial was not because of the Pakistan government but because of the courts.
He emphasized that friendship and communication with India was important, pointing out that "within few days, we (Pakistan) not only identified non-state actors involved in the heinous crime in Bombay, we arrested them. They are on trial."
Mr Malik said a "flaw in the Evidence Act" had caused delays. His government, he said, had filed an appeal in the High Court to allow it to take voice samples of 26/11 suspects and send them to India. This, after the government's appeal was rejected in a lower court, he said.
The Interior Minister also said that Pakistan was open to allowing the Indian judicial commission access to 26/11 suspects, though he emphasised that this would be "only on a strictly reciprocal basis."
"We are awaiting formal clearance for Pakistan's judicial commission to travel to India," Malik added.
Asked if he had a message for Mr Chidambaram, Mr Malik said he reassured him that India and Pakistan had a common cause to fight against terror.