ISLAMABAD, Jan 27: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Tuesday that India would be informed in two to three days about the report of a preliminary investigation prepared on the basis of information provided by the Indian government in connection with the Mumbai attacks.

According to sources, the president made the statement at a dinner for ambassadors of France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Russia at the Aiwan-i-Sadr. Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, PM’s Adviser on Interior Rehman Malik and Adviser on Finance Shaukat Tarin also attended the dinner.

Mr Zardari said Pakistan was seriously conducting the probe and urged the diplomats to play their role in defusing tensions for the sake of peace in the region.

The president said that drone attacks in tribal areas were weakening Pakistan’s position in the war on terror. “Because of these attacks, the government has been losing people’s support in its action against terrorists.”

A 10-day deadline given by Rehman Malik to the investigators ended on Tuesday. The adviser has promised to make the report public.

Pakistan had on Jan 17 assured India and the international community that the preliminary probe would be completed in 10 days, and said that if any Pakistani was found involved in the Mumbai attacks he would be tried in Pakistan in accordance with the country’s laws and would not be handed over to India.

Sources in the government said the trial would be in camera and the media would be briefed on the proceedings through proper channel.

They said Pakistan wanted to try the people found involved in the Mumbai carnage because it believed that these non-state actors had embarrassed the country and tarnished its image in the world.

“We will try to transform the information provided by India into solid evidences so that cases could be registered against perpetrators and they could be brought to justice inside Pakistan,” the adviser said.