Kasab is our citizen, admits Pakistan

After being in constant denial mode, Pakistan on Wednesday finally admitted that the lone captured Mumbai terrorist Ajmal Amir Iman 'Kasab' is its national, vindicating the Indian stand.

Also Read: Attack on Mumbai

It has been confirmed that Ajmal Kasab is a Pakistani national following preliminary investigations by national security agencies, said Pakistani Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq.

He was replying to questions by reporters who asked for confirmation of the report shortly after television channels broadcast the news that investigations have revealed that Kasab is a Pakistani.

Pakistani sources, however, sought to suggest that Kasab had no links to official agencies.

The significant admission which could reveal further Pakistani connections to the Mumbai terror attacks came a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that some official agencies of Pakistan were involved in the strikes and two days after India gave evidence to Islamabad seeking handing over of the masterminds.

Days after the Mumbai attacks, a Pakistani television channel traced Kasab's origins to Faridkot village in Punjab province and his father told a newspaper that he was his son.

But intelligence agencies got into action to get the villagers deny the story and Pakistan Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik claimed that there was no official record to prove that Kasab is a Pakistani.