Pak agrees to 48-hour timetable to act against LeT

Washington, Dec 06: Pakistan has agreed to a 48-hour timetable set by India and the United States to formulate a plan to take action against Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) and to arrest at least three Pakistanis who Indian authorities say are linked to the multiple attacks in Mumbai, a top US daily reported citing a top Pakistani official.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of diplomatic sensitivities, said India has also asked Pakistan to arrest and hand over LeT commander Zaki ur-Rehman Lakhwi and former chief of Pakistans spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Hamid Gul in connection with the probe into Mumbai carnage, which killed nearly 200 people, the Washington Post reported today.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who has expressed his country's solidarity with India, is expected to review plans by his nation's top military and intelligence officials and follow through on India's demands, the official said.

"The next 48 hours are critical," the official was quoted as saying by the influential US daily. A week after the terrorist assault in the Indian financial capital, Indian officials have stepped up their efforts to make a clear case of link between the carnage and Pakistani elements. According to the Post, a high-level source in the Indian government, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said India has "clear and incontrovertible proof" that LeT an carries out the attacks and that the group's leaders were trained and supported by Pakistan's ISI.