“Honesty and hard realities” are finally dawning on the decision makers,” said the News Daily in an editorial which proclaimed “we mean business”.

The paper said Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik's announcement that charges have been filed against nine suspects, including several Pakistanis and Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured for the attacks, and that part of the conspiracy had “taken place in Pakistan” is a “seismic shift” in the way the government has approached the matter.

“This is the first time that a senior representative of a sitting Pakistani government has ever acknowledged that any terror attack on another nation has been planned in whole or part within the country.

“There can be no doubt that this admission could mean serious implications for the security services, as Mr Malik is sure to know more than he is telling us,” it said.