New Delhi, January 10
With the fledgling civilian government not in control of the situation in Pakistan, it is becoming increasingly frustrating for India to deal with the neighbouring country in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Contradictory statements emanating from Islamabad, both from the government and the media, are being seen by New Delhi as yet another attempt by Pakistan to deflect the attention from the issue of terrorism after already having acknowledged that Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist captured in the Mumbai strikes, was a Pakistan national.

India is surprised over Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s statement yesterday that ISI had given its feedback to India on some information about the Mumbai attacks that New Delhi had shared with the US intelligence agency CIA.

Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma told the media today that India had not received any reply to the dossier it had given to Islamabad. “We will react to the reply when we receive it. It’s still awaited.”

Sharma said India’s position was clear that Pakistan must fulfill the promise it had made to New Delhi and the international community that it would not allow the misuse of its territory for terrorist activities. “Pakistan has to walk the talk…it should dismantle the (terrorist) organisations and infrastructure that exist there.’’

Regretting that Islamabad was still in the denial mode, Sharma said India had also not received any request from Pakistan for consular access to Kasab.

Sources said US has been questioning ISI on some of the issues mentioned by India in the dossier, like training of terrorists and links to Pakistan’s official agencies.

Sharma’s senior and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, meanwhile, virtually ruled out any Israeli-type action against Pakistan, saying the situation was not at all comparable. “I have not gone and occupied any of Pakistan’s land, which Israel has done (in Palestine). So, how the situation can be comparable,” he replied during an interview to a television news channel.

Emphasising that India was keeping all its options open, Mukherjee said New Delhi wanted Pakistan to act on the evidence establishing the links between the perpetrators of the attacks and elements in Pakistan.

“We have not reached the end of the road with Pakistan. What they had asked for, we have already provided them, and now we expect them to act. And in case they don’t, then what follow up steps we will take and in what space of time these will happen, future course will decide,’’ Mukherjee said.

Meanwhile, US ambassador to India David C Mulford, who has been asked by the incoming Obama administration to stay put in New Delhi for some more time, has contended that the dossier given by India to Pakistan on the Mumbai attacks was credible, but suggested that New Delhi should give time to Islamabad to act on it.

‘’From what I have seen, it is a very credible material. The FBI is cooperating in Mumbai…it is information which tells and gives a very accurate account of what has happened,’’ Mulford said during a talk show, ‘Devil’s Advocate’, on CNN-IBN.