India wary over sharing intel with Pakistan

Voicing reservations over intelligence sharing with Pakistan, Home Minister P. Chidambaram, on Friday, said if it meant India sharing intelligence over terror attacks being planned in the neighbouring country, it will "completely undermine" the exercise.

"I am not clear what they mean by intelligence sharing," Chidambaram told Times Now TV channel in New Delhi before leaving for Islamabad for the SAARC home minister's conference Saturday and talks with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik.

He was responding to a question on the prospects of intelligence sharing between India and Pakistan in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attack.

Chidambaram added that if Pakistan wanted to share information about the activities of non-state actors operating in its territory, they were welcome to do so. But if it meant India sharing intelligence about terror plots being hatched on Pakistani soil, "it will completely undermine out intelligence gathering".

"Many terror attacks have emanated from Pakistani soil. India shares intelligence with many countries, but this is the difference between sharing intelligence with Pakistan and such an exercise with other countries," he said.

Pakistan has been pressing for intelligence-sharing related to terror attacks with India. Counter-terror cooperation will figure in the discussions between Chidambaram and Malik during their bilateral talks in Islamabad.

Ruling out any dilution of India's stand on terrorism, Chidambaram also said the time for giving dossiers was over and asked the Pakistani leadership to act against its nationals, including Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, linked to the Mumbai carnage.

Chidambaram arrived in Islamabad on Friday evening.

This is the ministerial visit from the Indian side to Pakistan since 10 Pakistani terrorists killed 166 people in Mumbai in a terror spree Nov 26-29, 2008, leading to the suspension of the dialogue process between the two countries.