Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari rejected suggestions that ISI had links with terror group LeT blamed for Mumbai terror attacks saying Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency used to have such ties "in the old days when dictators used to run the country".
"We are talking about an age-old situation. This is something (that happened) in the old days when dictators used to run the country. May be before 9/11 (attacks in the US), that may have been a position. But since then, things have changed to a great extent," Zardari said in an interview to 'Newsweek'.
There is no supportive interaction between Pakistani intelligence and the Lashkar e Toiba , which is a banned organisation in Pakistan, he claimed.
Describing Pakistan's people and government as the "net losers" of the situation arising out of the Mumbai attacks, President Asif Ali Zardari has said his country had put in "a lot of effort" for good relations with India, which were now witnessing heightened tensions.
Pakistan needed real time intelligence from other countries to move faster against terrorists, he said, adding that many of those now saying that they knew about the possibility of the Mumbai attacks never shared the information with Islamabad.
"I've heard that the Russians told the Indians (about Mumbai attacks), but I wish the Russians had also shared it with us," Zardari said.
Asked whether he would do something if all terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks were found to be trained in Pakistan, he replied, "definitely, not for them (Indians). It's for myself."
"The Indians must understand that the government (of Pakistan) and the people of Pakistan are net losers of the situation. We had put in a lot of effort... To make good relations with India," Zardari said.
