After numerous flip-flops, Pak takes blame for 26/11

New Delhi: A day after Pakistan accepted that a part of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack conspiracy was hatched on its soil, India and the international community are calling it a positive step.

It took 78 days and numerous flip-flops before Pakistan finally accepted that the 26/11 attacks were indeed planned on its soil and started with filing of cases against Kasab and eight others.

Hours before the report was made public, Pakistan's Interior Ministry Advisor Rehman Malik himself and the information minister denied filing case against anyone.

"No such case has been registered. It is under consideration," said Pakistan Information Minister Sherry Rehman.

Sherry’s denial was contradicted by Pakistan's Foreign Ministry and later Malik confirmed that cases have been filed.

"Ajmal Kasab, Khan, Riyaz, Hamid Amin Sadiq and their associates have prime facie committed offence punishable under section 7, 11V, 21C, 21.1 of anti-terrorism act," Malik said on Thursday.

The series of contradictions began with the lone captured terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab's nationality.

First Pakistani President Asfi Ali Zardari denied that Kasab was a Pakistani

"At the moment these are just the names of individuals. No proof, no investigation nothing has been brought forward," Zardari had claimed.

Days later, Pakistan's former national security adviser Mahmud Ali Durrani said Kasab was a Pakistani national.

"Could be, could be. I will say not more than that. I hate to say this but we don't have proof," Durrani replied when asked about Kasab's nationality.

Soon after his statement, Durrani was sacked but the Foreign Ministry later admitted Kasab was a Pakistani national.

In December 2008, Pakistan first denied and then admitted it had raided the Lashkar-e-Toiba headquarters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Muzzafarabad.

In another flip-flop in December, a week after Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar Chaudhry announced that Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar had been put under house arrest; Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced he had no idea where Azhar was.

Pakistan's vindication of the Indian stand may act as an ice-breaker in the current situation.

But it is coming around after constant denials may not improve the dismal trust quotient between the two nations.