India blames Pakistani Muslims for attack

The Indian government said it had evidence yesterday that an Islamic militant group based in Pakistan was to blame for the suicide attack on parliament in Delhi that claimed 12 lives.

Jaswant Singh, the Foreign Minister, said India had issued a formal complaint to the Pakistan high commission claiming it had "technical evidence" the attack was the "handiwork" of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba militants. Five men armed with AK-47s and explosives died after storming the complex on Thursday and killing five policemen, a security guard and a gardener.

Mr Singh said the complaint to the high commissioner demanded that Pakistan halt the activities of two Islamic militant groups based on its territory, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Islamabad was urged to arrest the leaders and freeze their assets.The Pakistani government has condemned the attack.

In Islamabad, Yahya Mujahid, a Lashkar-e-Tayyaba spokesman, said: "It's a pack of lies. The attack was sponsored by India.The drama was staged to malign Kashmir's Islamic groups and involve Pakistan. India wants to use the present international atmosphere against terrorism against Pakistan."