As Indian commando operations in three locations in Mumbai were inching closer to conclusion, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told IBN TV, a local news network, that India had "hard evidence" that the terrorists who carried out the highly coordinated attack came from Pakistan.
Moments later, the Pakistani foreign minister told the station that his country wanted to strengthen the level of cooperation with its southern neighbor as regards combating terror.
After the Indian prime minister said the latest attack would slow down the Pakistani-Indian peace process, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi implored Singh to "respect public opinion" before leveling any accusations at Pakistan.
Pakistan and India have suffered a tense relationship punctured by sporadic outbursts of violence. The attack on Mumbai, which has been continuing since Wednesday evening, threatened to further strain the two countries' relations even though India never suggested Pakistan had officially supported the attackers.
As senior officials of both countries were making their televised statements, the Indian elite National Security Guard said the operations at the Trident Oberoi Hotel and the Chabad House had come to an end, whilst fighting at the Taj Mahal Hotel was still ongoing.
