Qureshi in Delhi. (PTI)

New Delhi, Nov. 28: Pakistan foreign minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi today pledged to join India’s fight against terrorism in the face of intense international pressure on his country to act after the Mumbai attacks.

“In principle, we have agreed to co-operate with investigations,” Qureshi told a news conference before being interrupted by a call from his Indian counterpart.

“The Indian government wants the ISI chief to co-operate and visit…. We are supportive of the demand… we will consider it,” he said, but refused to reveal details of the conversation with Pranab Mukherjee in which he did all the listening.

“You share your concerns with us, we will address them in a more co-operative environment,” Qureshi told journalists at the Indian Women’s Press Corps.

During the call, Mukherjee expressed hope that Islamabad would take “immediate action with regard to the terrorist attacks on Mumbai”, according to a statement issued his office.

“While the government of Pakistan has said that it wants a leap forward in our bilateral relations, outrages like the attack on our embassy in Kabul and now the attack on Mumbai are intended to make this impossible,” it said.

“The groups responsible and their supporters are, therefore, also acting against the direct interests of the government of Pakistan. We expect Pakistan to honour its solemn commitments not to permit the use of its territory for terrorism in India,” added the carefully worded statement, which avoided making any direct accusations.

Qureshi told the news conference he would convey Delhi’s sentiments to his government but was quick to point out that Mumbai’s attackers “need not necessarily be trained in Pakistan”.

He proposed a hotline between the national security advisers and the intelligence chiefs of the two countries to “share intelligence timely and deal collectively with this menace”.

Qureshi went on to assure India that the current “elected democratic government” in Pakistan believed in “peace and reconciliation”.

“There is a political consensus on normalisation and friendly relations with India,” he said.

He rebuffed questions from reporters that seemed to suggest that Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies had a hand in the Mumbai attacks and were not under civilian control. “The military and intelligence agencies are listening… they are taking orders,” he said.

“The government and institutions of Pakistan are clear that whoever has done this is neither our, nor your friends. They are barbarians, inhuman, we have to eliminate them.”

He said Pakistan would nor get involved in such strikes “even if we think selfishly.”