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Mumbai Residents Demonstrate Unity

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Thousands of people have joined hands to form a human chain winding through the streets of Mumbai, to commemorate the victims of last month's deadly terrorist attacks.

Students, laborers, and activists Friday took part in the peaceful demonstration, which they called a show of solidarity and unity.

Meanwhile, a top U.S. diplomat, deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, is in New Delhi to advise Indian political leaders on improving the country's intelligence agencies. Negroponte was in Islamabad Thursday, where he met with senior Pakistani civilian and military leaders.

India's intelligence agencies were sharply criticized for failing to prevent the Mumbai attacks, which killed at least 170 people. India's government has accused Pakistan of sheltering the terrorist groups behind the attacks.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told Negroponte on Thursday that Pakistan would fulfill its "international obligations" by dismantling a well-known Islamic charity (Jamaat-ud-Dawa) linked to the Pakistani militant group (Lashkar-e-Taiba,) which India blames for the attacks.

Police closed the charity's offices, froze its assets and placed its leader, (Hafiz Mohammed Saeed), under house arrest.

India has called on Pakistan to hand over 20 suspected militants and criminals believed to be hiding in Pakistan. But Pakistani officials have rejected those calls, saying they will take action against them through the country's own legal system.

The Mumbai attacks sharply increased tensions between India and Pakistan. In a sign of how deep the tensions go, India's sport minister has said he does not want to allow his country's cricket team to tour Pakistan next month.

During a speech to parliament on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Pakistan was not doing enough to dismantle the infrastructure and "epicenter of terrorism" within its country.

But Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament on Thursday that war with Pakistan is not the solution.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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