India Blames Pakistanis for Attack

The government demanded Friday that Pakistan make good on its pledge to fight terrorism by going after Islamic militants it blames for a suicide attack on India’s Parliament that claimed 12 lives.

India called on Islamabad to arrest the leaders and freeze the funds of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which it says was behind Thursday’s attack, and another Pakistan-based Islamic militant group. Both are fighting for independence in the Himalayan province of Jammu and Kashmir.

Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh said India has “technical evidence” that the attack was “the handiwork of a terrorist organization based in Pakistan, the Lashkar-e-Taiba.”

In the raid, five gunmen armed with AK-47s and explosives stormed the Parliament building, killing six security force personnel and a gardener. The gunmen also died.

“Pakistan has asserted that it is with the rest of the international community in combating terrorism and that it does not promote terrorism,” Singh said. “We expect that Pakistan will abide with what it says.”

India has long accused Muslim Pakistan, now a key U.S. ally in the war against terrorism, of backing militants fighting a 12-year insurgency to separate mainly Muslim Kashmir from Hindu-dominated India.

Pakistan says it offers the militants moral, not material, support.

Pakistan’s response Friday was measured. A government spokesman said Pakistan condemns the attack but wants more evidence of the involvement of Pakistan-based militants.

“Simply issuing a statement is not enough,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said, adding that India would “have to provide us some evidence.”

No one has claimed responsibility, and Lashkar-e-Taiba has denied it was behind the assault.