Sherry embarrasses Gilani, says no move to send FIA team

In fresh embarrassment to the Pakistan government, Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani's statement on the possibility of sending an investigation team to India was contradicted by his cabinet colleague Sherry Rehman, who denied that any such move had been initiated by Islamabad.

"We confirmed with the Foreign Office, there has been no such move decided yet on the part of Pakistan," Information Minister Rehman said shortly after Gilani had stated that Pakistan is considering the possibility of sending a Federal Investigative Agency team to India as part of its probe into the Mumbai attacks.

Gilani had said that New Delhi had requested for a team of FIA probing the Pakistani links to Mumbai attacks to visit India to aid in the probe.

"It is India's wish that an FIA team should visit the country to share further information," Gilani, who was in Lahore on an official visit, told media persons on Wednesday.

"We are seriously considering the request. We have no objection to the FIA team going to India and holding meetings to get further information to take the case forward," he said.

Gilani's statement was contradicted by Rehman, who dismissed it as media speculation.

It was not immediately clear when India had made the request for the Pakistani investigators to visit the country.