Islamabad: Insisting that the Mumbai attackers had links "that lead to Pakistani soil," a visiting top US diplomat today asked Islamabad to pursue leads provided by New Delhi and to track down the perpetrators.

Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said it was "clear that the attackers had links that lead to Pakistani soil" though he did not give details.

The US wants Pakistan to investigate the information provided by India today, follow available leads and track down perpetrators so that similar attacks do not occur in future, he said.

India and Pakistan both had "pieces of the puzzle" and need to cooperate, Boucher told a news conference at the US embassy here after talks with the country's top leadership.

"The two sides need to exchange information," he said, adding that India and Pakistan need to work together as this alone will ensure that the perpetrators of the attacks are tracked down.

The US had a "direct interest" in the probe as six of its citizens were killed in the Mumbai attacks, he said, adding, "We are interested that those responsible must be found".

The "scene of the crime" is in India and authorities there have made some arrests. At the same time, Pakistan had detained persons involved in the planning and execution of the attacks. Both sides will now have to follow up on the available information, Boucher said.

Replying to a question on whether the US believed Pakistan's state institutions, including the ISI, was linked to the strike, Boucher said: "Let us find out from the evidence (handed over by India) who was involved in these attacks" and "not jump to conclusions".

Source : PTI