Mumbai, Dec.3 (ANI): The sole surviving terrorist that attacked Mumbai last week, killing about 195 people and injuring 295 others, has revealed that his father was paid by a Pakistan-based militant group to hand him over.

Azam Amir Kasab, 21, a Pakistani national from Faridkot in Punjab province, said that his father, Amir, introduced him to a Lashkar-e-Taiba commander. The commander, known as "chacha" (uncle), paid his father, The Times quotes Kasab, as saying. Security experts say that payment is one of three main recruitment tools used by Islamist extremists. The other two are the madrassas, or Islamic seminaries, scattered across Pakistan, and threats of violence, often made to the families of those being recruited.

It is thought that as many as 15 Indian officials are sitting in on the militant's interrogation, and many are leaking their interpretations of his responses to the media. Others are speculating that the fact that Kasab apparently speaks fluent English indicates he is probably from Pakistan's relatively wealthy middle classes.

Experts also believe it is unlikely that a recruit who had been coerced would be sent on an attack of the scale of Mumbai.

"They would not send somebody who would compromise the mission," Dr. Lakshman, of the Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management, said

Indian officials remain convinced that the attack on Mumbai bears the hallmark of Lashkar-e-Toiba, which was believed to be behind a 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament.

They also believe that Lashkar-e-Toiba does not act without the sanction of some part of the Pakistan government. Officials are also concerned that five terrorist gunmen that have escaped after the carnage and could strike again.

The prospect of more killers has added to public anger at the Indian Government's lax handling of the worst terror strike to hit the country in 15 years. (ANI)

Chicago, Dec.3 (ANI): US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has revealed that he has an "open-ended" agreement to remain at the Pentagon incoming President Barack Obama.

Gates said he would not be a "caretaker secretary" and scotched media reports of him being given a time frame of just a year to serve under Obama.

"With the country fighting two wars, and our men and women in uniform at risk, if the president asked me to help, there's no way I can say no," Gates said. Gates said he expects most Defense Department appointees to be replaced.

Moments later, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England announced that he would not be staying with Gates in the Obama administration.

Gates said Tuesday that re-examining the U.S. military's "strategy and approach" in Afghanistan will be a top priority in the next administration, and also indicated that he is on the same page with Obama when it comes to a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.

Gates said Obama's statements about pursuing a "responsible drawdown" and consulting the commanders on the ground give him confidence in Obama's stance on the issue.

"Nobody wants to put at risk the gains that have been achieved with so much sacrifice on the part of our soldiers and the Iraqis," he added.

Gates also said, "I think it is possible to close" the Guantanamo Bay detention center in the next administration, and that he would work with Congress to create legislation to enable the closure. (ANI)

Brussels, Dec.3 (ANI): The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, has urged Pakistan to help authorities in India investigate the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Solana spoke to both Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee.

Solana reiterated his condolences to the Indian government and "underlined the EU's readiness to cooperate with India to combat terrorism," his office said.

As far as his missive to Qureshi was concerned, Solana "encouraged the Pakistani government to pursue the fight against extremism and terrorism."

Meanwhile, the European Union has completed its coordinated action to evacuate injured European citizens from Mumbai. France and Sweden too have joined forces to provide medical evacuation for citizens from Britain and Spain.

The final evacuation flights landed in London early Monday carrying three British and three Spanish citizens, including two seriously injured and one suffering from "psychological trauma." (ANI)

Islamabad, Dec.23 (ANI): Pakistan's top political leaders have taken strong exception to India's "unsubstantiated allegations made in haste", and said that they will remain united against any threat to the security of their country.

In a seven-point statement issued after an all-parties conference (APC) at the Prime Minister's House to discuss rising tensions between India and Pakistan after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the politicians said that they were ready to "pursue constructive engagement with India in a comprehensive manner with a view to building confidence and mutual trust for establishing friendly and good-neighbourly relations with India on the basis of settlement of all outstanding disputes".

They said that the Pakistani people "share the grief of the people of India and extend their sympathy to the families of the victims."

They also expressed a "steadfast resolve of the Pakistani nation to defend its honour and dignity as well as Pakistan's sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity".

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani lauded the political leaders for assuring the government of unequivocal support. (ANI)