Contradicting National Security Adviser M K Narayanan's claim that Islamabad has reverted on the Mumbai attacks dossier, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday asserted that India is yet to receive any official response from Pakistan.
"That he (Narayanan) has said in his own way. The fact of the matter is that after they (Pakistan) received material from us, we have not received any official communication about the progress of investigation conducted by them," Mukherjee told reporters.
Narayanan had, in a TV interview two days ago, claimed that Pakistan had reverted on the Mumbai attacks dossier, asking questions to which answers were being given.
"What I am aware of is that after the receipt of the dossier by Pakistan, the Pakistan government has reverted to us and asked a number of questions to which answers are being provided.... I presume they are yet to receive replies to the second set of queries they have made," the NSA had said.
Mukherjee, however, emphasised, "As I stated earlier, we are awaiting official information from Pakistan".
On Pakistan barring its cricketers from playing in the Indian Premier League, Mukherjee said, "It is for them (to decide). I do not bring politics in cricket. Sometimes, we also cancel trips."
Pakistan on Monday barred its cricketers from playing in the high-profile tournament, saying it would be unsafe for the players to travel to India in view of the tense relations between the two countries.
The decision to decline permission came just four days before the IPL player's auction in Goa and could further strain the sporting ties between the two countries.
Saleem Altaf, the chief operating officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board, said they had received the copy of a letter from the Foreign Affairs Ministry sent to the Sports Ministry, which declined permission to the players to travel to India for the Twenty20 tournament.
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