DELHI WELCOMES PAKISTAN'S RESPONSE TO DOSSIER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000281

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PK IN
SUBJECT: DELHI WELCOMES PAKISTAN'S RESPONSE TO DOSSIER

REF: ISLAMABAD 00313

Classified By: PolCouns Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (C) Summary: The Indian Government reacted positively to
the much awaited official response from Pakistan to the
dossier on the Mumbai terror attacks. Foreign Minister
Mukherjee's recognition of the Pakistani response as a
"positive development" was echoed by the Indian media and
Post contacts. Mukherjee emphasized to Parliament that India
will continue to seek to bring perpetrators of the Mumbai
attacks to justice and to dismantle the terrorist
infrastructure which exists in Pakistan. While the Pakistani
response may temporarily quiet some of the harsher rhetoric,
history and India's upcoming elections suggest the GOI will
maintain a tough public posture. End Summary.

Indian Officials: "Positive Development"
--------------


2. (C) Much to the delight and surprise of mainstream India,
Islamabad's Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, on 12 February
announced in a news conference that part of the conspiracy
leading to QMumbai attacks had been planned in Pakistan
(reftel). He said Islamabad would be requesting more
information from Delhi, saying the two states have "a joint
responsibility" to carry out the investigation. The same
evening, Pakistan's official response was provided to the
Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad, including a list of 30
questions and a request for any other incriminating evidence
which could be helpful for the prosecution of those accused
in Pakistan.


3. (C) The initial reaction of Indian officials has been
generally constructive, with Home Affairs Minister P.
Chidambaram, in a brief statement to the press several hours
after Malik's press conference, calling Pakistan's formal
response to the Indian dossier a "positive development." In
a February 13 suo moto statement before Parliament, External
Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee also used the words
"positive development" to describe Pakistan's actions, and
added that India would review the response and provide
further information as warranted. M.E.A. Joint Secretary
(Americas) Gaitri Kumar told PolCouns she believed Pakistan's
response was "historic" and she thanked the U.S. for its role
in bringing it about.

Still Some Criticism
--------------


4. (C) While Mukherjee's statement acknowledged the positive
nature of the Pakistani response, he made it clear that India
is not yet completely satisfied with Pakistan's overall
actions since November 26. He faulted Pakistan for
responding to the dossier only after India petitioned it for
the fourth time since 5 January and listed in detail the
instances when India petitioned Pakistan to act on the
dossier. He criticized Islamabad for initially adopting a
"diversionary" and "not appropriate" approach and exhibiting
a "misplaced sense of victimhood" following the November
attacks in Mumbai. Mukherjee said his government would
examine the issues raised in Pakistan's response and that the
result of India's investigation can be provided to Pakistan,
but he reiterated that the onus is still on Pakistan to
identify the guilty and bring them to justice. Despite
Mukherjee's relatively stronger language, he ended the speech
on a more conciliatory tone, saying India has no quarrel with
the people of Pakistan and that people-to-people contact
should continue.

Public Reaction: "A Big Step in the Right Direction"
-------------- --------------


5. (C) Post's contacts and the Indian media have taken
Interior Minister Malik's news conference on 12 February
quite positively, with NDTV calling Malik's comments "a set
of stunning statements coming from the Pakistani government"
which "represents a fundamental change in Pakistan policy"

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and puts the ball back in India's court. Observer Research
Foundation's Pakistan specialist, Wilson John, said these are
"welcome remarks" and "a positive thing that happened for the
first time" since the Mumbai terror attacks. John cautioned,
however, that this was not the end of a bitter period between
India and Pakistan.


6. (C) Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses Senior
Fellow Dr. Ashok Behuria referred to Malik's remarks as "very
encouraging," saying they were timely and in the right
direction. Extending credit to the United States for
Pakistan's progress, Behuria stated Malik's remarks were "a
direct outcome of U.S. influence in the region and constant
pressure over Islamabad to come out of denial mode."
Acknowledging that it may take more time for the mist to
clear, Behuria praised Pakistan's actions: "a good beginning
is to candidly admit one,s fault."

Comment: Government Likely to Soften Tone, to the Extent
Possible in Election Season
--------------


7. (C) Comment: Most importantly, Indian officials and the
Indian public have recognized the positive nature of the
Pakistani response. It is unclear whether this initially
positive reaction will lead to India agreeing to a joint
investigation, with some media commentators noting that it
may be difficult with Indian elections around the corner, but
expect at a minimum greater cooperation in the overall
investigation. The Pakistani admission that the attack was
at least partially planned on its soil, together with its
demonstration that it has already taken action to pursue
those responsible, should help Prime Minister Singh's
government in toning down the high pitch of rhetoric against
Pakistan. To a lesser extent, however, the deep-seated
skepticism of Pakistan's intentions lingers, and Post expects
the Indian government will publicly continue to press for
more action and more evidence of Pakistan's sincerity.
Particularly during this last session of the Indian
Parliament before the general election in April/May, Indian
politicians will likely feel the need to talk tough on
terrorism and Pakistan, even if they believe the GOP is
sincerely moving forward on its investigation. Indeed, a key
UPA strategy has been to "neutralize terrorism" as a campaign
issue. Despite the political theatrics, the consensus in
Delhi seems to be that, perhaps surprisingly, the Pakistani
government has taken the right first steps in its response to
the Indian dossier on the Mumbai attacks. End Comment.
MULFORD