India on Friday refuted Pakistan's claim that it has written a "fresh" letter seeking more evidence on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in order to bring the case to its "logical end".
"Pakistan Foreign Affairs spokesperson has claimed that their Foreign Secretary has written to our Foreign Secretary. No fresh letter has been received in this regard," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said at a briefing here.
Swarup also said that what Pakistan's Foreign Secretary has been referring to is a letter written in September last year.
"Our Foreign Secretary has replied to that letter," he said.
He said, "We keep hearing in media about a so-called list of 24 witnesses who are required by Pakistan to progress the Mumbai terror attack case trial, but so far we have not received any communication from Pakistan conveying details of these 24 people."
Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria claimed on Thursday that its Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry has written to concerned authorities across the border and demanded further details regarding the evidence linking Pakistan to the 26/11 terror attacks, adding that "Islamabad would bring the Mumbai attacks case to its logical end".
Swarup also stressed that India is prepared to discuss "all outstanding issues" with Pakistan bilaterally in an atmosphere which is "free from terror and violence".
"India has never ever shied away from engagement with Pakistan," he said, reacting to Pakistani top Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz's remarks.
--IANS
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