Britain on Saturday called on Pakistan to see through in "a full way" the trial of seven suspects arrested in connection with the Mumbai attacks and to punish them if they are found guilty.
"I think the fact that seven people are now on trial is significant and important," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said during a joint news conference with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
"That trial needs to be seen through in a full way. And if people are found guilty, they obviously need to be then punished," he said.
He said there was "no point in denying that the Mumbai attacks were a very significant setback for all of us who hoped for closer cooperation between India and Pakistan".
Miliband believed there is a "strong commitment" on the part of the governments of both countries to pursue better relations.
The Foreign Secretary averted several pointed questions from the Pakistani media about pressure purportedly being applied on Islamabad by New Delhi by allegedly cutting off river waters and talk of a "war under a nuclear overhang".
He recalled that when he visited Pakistan in January 2009 in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, he had said that "Pakistani authorities needed to move farther and faster in tackling the roots of those attacks because they were not just murderous in themselves but they were a grave danger to the cooperation between India and Pakistan".
{{/usCountry}}He recalled that when he visited Pakistan in January 2009 in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, he had said that "Pakistani authorities needed to move farther and faster in tackling the roots of those attacks because they were not just murderous in themselves but they were a grave danger to the cooperation between India and Pakistan".
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