India on Sunday reacted strongly to Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik statement that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Abu Jundal was an operative of an elite Indian intelligence agency, saying it was a “ridiculous” remark.

“Such a statement is ridiculous. Jundal was working with the LeT in Pakistan’s soil when the Mumbai terror attack was carried out,” Home Secretary R K Singh said.

Singh was reacting to Malik’s statement during the day that Jundal was working as an agent of an elite Indian intelligence agency.

On Malik’s remark that Indian agencies could have prevented the Mumbai terror attack, the Home Ministry in a statement said the main issue was that the Mumbai terror attack was conceived and planned and directed from the soil of Pakistan.

Pakistan did not take any action against these terrorist elements when the plan was being conceived and put into effect, it said.

The Home Ministry also said even after the Mumbai terror attack when full facts were known to the world, Pakistan was hesitating to take action against key conspirators and key operatives.