India acknowledged the Mumbai attacks had revealed security lapses but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday evidence showed the strike originated on the soil of a neighbor, a clear reference to Pakistan. The ruling Congress party-led coalition is under renewed criticism from the opposition that it is weak on security after the three-day rampage by 10 gunmen in India's financial capital last week capped a series of bomb blasts this year. “I would be less than truthful if I said there were no lapses,” new Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told reporters in Mumbai. “These are being looked into. We will address the causes that led to the lapses.” Chidambaram took over the post on Sunday after his predecessor Shivraj Patil quit in the wake of the attacks. Elections are due by May and analysts say Singh must demonstrate decisive action to counter criticism over security. “We have impressed upon all world leaders who called me that the people of India feel a sense of hurt and anger as never before,” Singh said at a media conference with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who was on a scheduled trip to New Delhi. “We expect the world community to come to the same conclusion, that the territory of a neighboring country has been used for this crime,” he said. Pakistan has condemned the assault, denied state involvement and vowed to help the Indian probe. But it wants proof first. Underscoring the collective jitters after the attacks, gunshot-like sounds heard at New Delhi's international airport early on Friday sparked a scare. Police said no one was hurt and normal operations resumed after a search.
