Islamabad, Jan. 22 (PTI): Pakistan is experiencing “Mumbai-like attacks almost every other day” and therefore cannot guarantee there will not be a repeat of 26/11-style attacks on India, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has told the US.

“Pakistan is itself facing Mumbai-like attacks almost every other day and when we cannot protect our own citizens, how can we guarantee that there wouldn’t be any more terrorist hits in India,” Gilani was quoted by a source here as having told visiting US defence secretary Robert Gates yesterday.

Gilani said the best safeguard against such incidents was de-linking the bilateral peace process from action against terrorism.

The Dawn newspaper reported that the Pakistan Prime Minister told Gates about the steps taken against militant groups, saying they had been outlawed and their network disrupted.

In an apparent reference to Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, accused by India of masterminding the Mumbai attacks, Gilani said his government could not prosecute anyone without evidence.

He also said the US should be “even-handed” in its dealings with Pakistan and India, the newspaper reported.

An official statement issued by Gilani’s office said Pakistan-India relations had figured in the Prime Minister’s discussions with Gates but was silent on whether the Premier had said Islamabad could not guarantee there would not be more Mumbai-like attacks.

The statement said Gilani told Gates that “Pakistan is committed to peace in the region and, in this context, his government is making sincere efforts to resume the composite dialogue process with India”.

While in India, Gates had warned that Pakistan-based militants with links to al Qaida were planning strikes in India with the hope that retaliation would lead to renewed conflict between the two countries.

The official statement said Gilani “regretted that the response from (India) has not been encouraging”.

“The relations between India and Pakistan should not become hostage to the activities of terrorists which (are) the common enemy. For lasting peace in the region, both countries should resolve the core issues, including Kashmir and water dispute,” he said.

India has put the composite dialogue with Pakistan on hold after of the Mumbai attacks in 2008. It has linked the resumption of the peace process to Pakistan taking action against the plotters of the attacks.

Although Saeed was placed under house arrest shortly after the Mumbai attacks, he was freed by Lahore High Court last year. The government is yet to challenge his release in the Supreme Court despite a pledge to do so.

Contrary to Gilani’s statements during his meeting with Gates, the Pakistan government has not issued any formal notification banning the Jamat-ud-Dawa, which has been declared a front for the Lashkar-e-Toiba by the UN Security Council.