AP
ISLAMABAD, Jan 15: Pakistan has arrested more than 100 people in a crackdown on groups allegedly linked to the Mumbai attacks, a top official said on Thursday, adding that information India has handed over still needs work before it can be used as evidence in court.
However, despite the announcement, interior ministry chief Rehman Malik dodged a question on whether Pakistan was conceding the plot that killed over 180 people in Mumbai was hatched on his country's soil.
“We have arrested a total of 124 people belonging to banned groups and are committed to working with India on the war on terror," said Rehman Malik.
India has said Pakistan-based terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, masterminded the November attack. In the days afterward, the UN Security Council declared that Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charity in Pakistan, was merely a front for the outlawed terrorist organization.
In a press conference, Malik said 124 people had been arrested, while authorities had taken steps against 20 offices, 87 schools, two libraries, seven religious schools, and a handful of other organizations and Web sites linked to the charity. He also said authorities had shut several relief camps of the charity, some of which have been alleged to be terrorist training grounds.
It was unclear exactly how many people remained in Pakistani custody, however, and Malik at one point indicated many may simply be under surveillance now.
Among those who are being held, including under house arrest, are Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, the head of the charity that helped establish the terrorist group, which was banned in 2002. Also in custody are Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Zarrar Shah, two men India says planned the Mumbai attacks.
Malik said Pakistan was trying to act responsibly and went after the charity and those linked to it because of the UN declaration.
Malik repeated Pakistani calls for a joint investigation into the attacks, pledging that would ``bring quick results.'' He urged India to hand over more information to assist Pakistan's own probe.
He said India had already handed over some information, but ``we have to inquire into this information to try to transform it to evidence, evidence which can stand the test of any court in the world and of course our own court of law.''
As other officials have from the start, he appeared to rule out handing over suspects to India, saying Pakistani laws allowed for the prosecution of citizens who committed crimes elsewhere.
``We have to prove to the world that India and Pakistan stand together against terrorists because they are the common enemies,'' Malik said.