Chilling telephone conversations between the Mumbai gunmen and their handlers emerged yesterday from an Indian dossier of evidence linking the attacks to Pakistan.

During the atrocities a gunman in the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai told his commander, believed to have been in Pakistan: "We have three foreigners, including women." The response was plain and brutal: "Kill them."

Gunshots than rang out, followed by cheers, according to a leaked transcript of the intercepted call.

The details emerged as the Pakistani Government admitted for the first time that Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the sole gunman to be captured alive during the attacks, which left more than 170 people dead, had links to the country. "He has links to Pakistan but the investigation is ongoing," Sherry Rehman, the Information Minister, said.

The Indian dossier also describes how the Pakistan-based handlers ordered another team of gunmen who had seized Nariman House, an ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach centre, to execute their hostages.

"If you are threatened immediately kill them," one handler said. "If the hostages are killed, it will spoil relations between India and Israel."

The gunman replied: "So be it, God willing." Six Jewish foreigners, including a rabbi and his wife, were shot dead inside the building.

Those giving the orders are alleged to be senior members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Pakistan-based terrorist faction that Indian officials believe still has the support of Pakistan's powerful spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence. They include Zarar Shah, the LeT's communications chief, who has been arrested in Pakistan and is believed to have admitted his role to Pakistani investigators. "He played a major part," Rakesh Maria, the officer in charge of the police investigation in Mumbai, said.

The calls were part of a dossier handed to Pakistan's high commission in Delhi on Monday. "The commanders in Pakistan are following events on television and are issuing real-time instructions; telling the gunmen to target certain nationalities and religions; to maximise casualties; not to touch Muslims. This is hands-on direction," a senior Indian government official told The Times.

The dossier also included information from Kasab's interrogation.

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