NEW YORK: Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly denied his country's involvement in the audacious attacks in Mumbai, saying the terror  strikes in the India's financial capital were executed by the "stateless actors" who wanted to hold the "entire world hostage."  The Pakistan president rejected India's demand that Islamabad hand over some 20 suspects, believed to be in Pakistan, saying: "If we had proof, we would try them in our courts. We would try them in our land and we would sentence them."

Zardari also ruled out any possibility of Pakistan and India going to war, saying "democracies do not go to war". "These (terrorists) are stateless actors who have been operating throughout the region. They include gunmen and the planners and are holding the entire world hostage," he said.  Asserting that the "State of Pakistan" is not responsible for the attacks in Mumbai, he said that even the White House and the US intelligence agency CIA have said so. Zardari said that he doubted India's claim that the sole surviving gunman, who was captured by Indian security forces, was a Pakistani.  "We have not been given any tangible proof to say that he is definitely a Pakistani. I very much doubt that he's a Pakistani," he said, appearing on "Larry King Live" programme on CNN last night.

Zardari said , "The threat is in the region and just not to Bombay or to India. The threat (also is) to the State of Pakistan. There's a threat to Afghanistan, It's a threat throughout region. So that would be counterproductive," he added.  Zardari said the three wars, India and Pakistan have fought, took place during dictatorships in Pakistan. Asked in the context of his statement that democracies do not go on war about American attack on Iraq, Zardari said it was Washington's reaction to the attack on the US.

"That is a reactive action and that is something that the terrorist are always looking for. That is exactly the fear and that's why we should rise above it," he said.  "I'm a victim. The state of Pakistan is a victim. We are the victims of this war, and I am sorry for the Indians, and I feel sorry for them. I've seen this pain. I feel this pain every time I see my children. I can see it in their eyes. This pain lives with me because of my wife and what we are going through in Pakistan," he added.