Pakistan cabinet in special session - Sir Creek talks cancelled

Islamabad: The Pakistan government's cabinet held a crisis meet aimed at taking stock of the situation soon after it rejected a demand by the Indian prime minister to send the chief of its Inter Services Intelligence to New Delhi for consultations in the wake of a massive terrorist strike in the financial hub of Mumbai.

The special session of the cabinet has been held even as the Indian prime minister held a high level meet in New Delhi with defence and intelligence officials today. 

Meanwhile, the Pak-India talks on the Sir Creek issue have been postponed once again after Mumbai terror strikes. The important meet on the long-running Sir Creek boundary dispute was scheduled on 2-3 December in New Delhi under the fifth round of Pakistan-India composite dialogue.

Also, the planned visit of the Indian Indus Water Commission has been cancelled and it seems that the fifth round of composite dialogue would also be in jeopardy.

Earlier, the Pakistani prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, left for Islamabad from Lahore after the announcement of the cabinet meet , cancelling his Saturday engagements in the city.

"The military leadership was not consulted before an announcement was made to the media regarding the decision to send the ISI chief to India," a senior government official said.

The Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), a military body, is widely perceived by India and other countries to have dirty fingers in matters related to terrorism. It has come under tremendous pressure in recent times from the United States of America, which has accused its personnel, both serving and retired, to be hand in glove with Taliban elements.

India's complaints with regard to the organisation's involvement with terror related activities are of long standing, which have received scant attention in Western capitals in the past. Some of these countries, currently bogged down in anti-Taliban operations in Afghanistan, are paying more attention to Indian complaints than in the past.

Indian external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee has already pointed fingers at ''some elements'' in Pakistan as being involved with the terror attacks in Mumbai.

"The special session of the cabinet will take stock of the situation arising out of the allegations by India and the change in level of ISI participation into the probe," a Pakistan government official told agencies.

The report of the Pakistan government meet comes even as high level meets are taking place in New Delhi, ostensibly to take stock of the situation arising out of  the terror attacks in Mumbai which has claimed 500 casualties so far, including 195 dead.

The Pakistan government overnight reversed a plan to send Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, chief of the ISI, to India, saying a 'representative' from the agency would go instead. The change in plans came after the military establishment, always a parallel source of power in the country, expressed its displeasure over the unprecedented move.

According to agency reports, chief army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said that the decision to send the ISI chief had not been conveyed officially to the army.

A December 2001 attack on India's parliament in New Delhi, also carried out by Pakistan-based terrorists, brought the two countries to the brink of war as India put its armed forces in an operational state.

The latest attack on Mumbai comes on the back of recent attacks on major Indian cities, including Bangalore, Ahmedabad and New Delhi.