Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Indian police accused the Islamic group Lashkar-e-Taiba and Pakistan's main intelligence agency of involvement in the July 11 Mumbai train bombings that killed more than 180 people. Pakistan denied any role, saying the allegation was ``absurd.''

Laskhar was primarily responsible for carrying out the bombings, and its operatives were trained in Pakistan, Mumbai Police Commissioner A.N. Roy said in a televised press conference today. A total of 11 Pakistanis were involved in the blasts, including one who died, he said.

The status of the Himalayan Kashmir region, a territory both countries claim in full and control only in parts, is at the center of dispute between the two South Asian nuclear-armed neighbors. More than two dozen rebel groups are fighting against Indian rule in Jammu and Kashmir, the nation's only Muslim- majority state.

Teams of two, comprising one Indian and one Pakistani, fanned out in Mumbai's suburban trains to carry out the seven attacks, Roy said. Police have arrested 15 suspects, and the roles of 12 people have been directly established, Roy said.

Local operatives of the Students Islamic Movement of India were also involved, he said.

Pakistani government spokesman Ashfaque Gondal, speaking in a telephone interview from Islamabad, said the allegation of involvement by the nation's Inter Services Intelligence agency was ``absurd.''

`Deny Any Involvement'

``We deny any involvement or the involvement of any of the government's agencies in the attacks,'' he said. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf ``has already offered India any assistance in investigating the case,'' he said.

``Lashkar-e-Taiba is already a banned outfit in Pakistan. It has no links with any of the Pakistani agencies. The sensitivity of the case demands more responsibility, rather than shifting blame,'' Gondal said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier this month said Pakistan hadn't done enough to control the use of its territory for mounting terrorist attacks against India.

``These groups, whether it's Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e- Mohammad, they can act autonomously also,'' Singh said. ``Our worry has been that Pakistan's government hasn't done enough to control these elements.''

At his press conference, Roy said planning for the Mumbai attacks, which injured about 900 people, began as early as March.

Pressure Cookers

The bombers used a combination of ammonium nitrate and RDX, or Royal Demolition Explosive, in the attacks, he said. As much as 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of RDX was used.

The bombers used quartz timers to detonate bombs that were hidden inside pressure cookers purchased locally and kept inside bags in the crowded suburban trains. The bombs, each containing as much as 2.5 kilogram of RDX and 4 kilograms of ammonium nitrate were made in a suburb of Mumbai, the police commissioner said.

Mumbai's commuter trains carry more than a third of the city's 16 million people every day between the suburbs and the downtown business district. Mumbai is home to some of the largest companies, the country's two main stock exchanges, the biggest diamond, gold and commodities trading centers and the mainstream Hindi film industry.

India and Pakistan earlier this month, following a July 11 meeting between India's Singh and Pakistan's Musharraf in the Cuban capital of Havana, agreed that their diplomats will meet in New Delhi to discuss Kashmir and other border disputes.

``The next step forward will test the resilience of the January agreement and Havana meeting,'' Uday Bhaskar, a defense analyst based in New Delhi said in a phone interview. ``India should take the case (evidence) both with the Pakistani government and the people of Pakistan and other international fora where it is appropriate.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Gautam Chakravorthy in Mumbai at chakravorthy@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 30, 2006 13:31 EDT