FBI team due on March 4 to probe into attacks

ISLAMABAD - A delegation of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) led by its director will visit Pakistan early next month to help Islamabad in probe into the Mumbai attacks, said the Foreign Office on Thursday. Addressing his weekly press briefing, the Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said, "Headed by director Robert Mueller, the FBI team will arrive in Pakistan on March 4. He said, "We hope that the FBI team, which also visited India and held meetings there, will assist us by providing further intelligence information." To a question on disqualification of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and international reaction, he said it was internal matter of Pakistan. He said that there was no reaction from the international community on this issue except from Washington that had also termed it as an internal matter of Pakistan. On the visit of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to Washington and his meetings with US leaders there, he said the process of review of anti-terror policy was on. "It is hoped that when the process is completed there will be a positive change on the issue of drone attacks on Pakistan," he said. Answering a query, Basit said Pakistan was still waiting for reply from India to its questions about the Mumbai attacks. He added that Pakistan was serious to root out extremism and terrorism by using all possible means with international cooperation. Pakistan, he said, had adopted 3Ds policy based on Dialogue, Development and Deterrence to fight the menace of terrorism. "Pakistan is looking forward to timely and comprehensive response from India on its questions regarding the investigation into Mumbai attacks," Basit added. He said that terrorism was a common enemy of all states and Pakistan wanted to fight it in cooperation with the international community. "Pakistan is willing to revive and resume the dialogue process with India, sooner or latter," he said. He further said that introduction of Islamic courts in Swat was our internal affair and hence all the concerns and reservations being voiced by the international community in this regard were baseless. He said the other nations should not be concerned over situation in Swat as it was helping the government in curbing terrorism in the valley. To a question on the recovery of foreign diplomats kidnapped in Pakistan, he said the government had been making sincere efforts to recover them adding it was hoped they would be recovered soon.

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