Pakistan information minister puts her PM in a spot

In fresh embarrassment to Pakistan government, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s statement on the possibility of sending an investigation team to India was contradicted by his cabinet colleague Sherry Rehman, who denied that any such move had been initiated by Islamabad.

In fresh embarrassment to Pakistan government, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s statement on the possibility of sending an investigation team to India was contradicted by his cabinet colleague Sherry Rehman, who denied that any such move had been initiated by Islamabad.

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“We confirmed with the Foreign Office, there has been no such move decided yet on the part of Pakistan,” information minister Rehman said shortly after Gilani had said Pakistan was considering the possibility of sending an Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team to India as part of its probe into the Mumbai attacks.

Gilani had said New Delhi had requested for an FIA team probing the Pakistani links to Mumbai attacks to visit India to aid in the probe.

“It is India’s wish that an FIA team should visit the country to share further information,” Gilani said on Wednesday. “We are seriously considering the request. We have no objection to the FIA team going to India and holding meetings to get further information to take the case forward.”

Gilani’s statement was contradicted by Rehman, who dismissed it as media speculation. It was not immediately clear when India had made the request for the Pakistani investigators to visit the country.