LONDON, Dec 17: Contesting the claims of US, Indian and British officials that there was clear evidence suggesting the Mumbai attacks originated inside Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari has said there is still no firm proof to back the charge.

Talking to the BBC on Wednesday, Mr Zardari said there was still no conclusive evidence to substantiate the claim.

However, he promised Pakistan would take action if a link was proved.

Mr Zardari told BBC’s Alan Little in Islamabad that Pakistan was prepared to act if adequate evidence of any Pakistani complicity in the attacks emerged.

“If that stage comes, and when it comes, I assure you that our parliament, our democracy, shall take the action properly deemed in our constitution and in our law,” he said.

He said that western intelligence agencies had not offered firm evidence to justify claims that the attacks were orchestrated from the Pakistani soil and that he would not jump to conclusions until a full investigation had been conducted.

Mr Zardari said claimed that the sole surviving attacker had been identified by his own father as coming from Pakistan had not been proven. The man has been named as Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab and is in Indian police custody.

The president also said if there is any investigation to be found pointing towards Hafiz Saeed’s involvement in any form of terrorism, he shall be tried for that reason.

Mr Zardari said that he had asked India to co-operate in an investigation and he would not leap to judgment while that investigation was continuing.

He said that while he was not in denial about Lashkar-e-Taiba’s continued activities, “when you ban an organisation they emerge in some other form”.