Krishna’s Pakistan talks get a Headley preface

“I look forward to receiving feedback on the issues raised by our Home Minister (P Chidambaram) during his visit to Pakistan last month on our core concern of terrorism,particularly in the light of the discussions our Home Minister had in Pakistan in the context of the interrogation of David Coleman Headley regarding the Mumbai terrorist attack,” Krishna said after landing at the Chaklala airbase this afternoon.

Speaking to reporters at the Serena Hotel a couple of hours later,he referred again to Headley’s confession: “India expects some response (from Pakistan to Headley’s revelations)… I am here to find out just what that response is… We expect a satisfactory response.”

“Headley’s interrogation has revealed many things. The whole world is aware that he has been interrogated not in India but in United States by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. India cannot be faulted on that. I am sure Pakistan has taken note of that. India naturally wants some response,” he said.

He said Islamabad “will have to act” because it has been provided “such irrefutable evidence”.

He also raised the issue of frequent anti-India statements by Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.

“Hafiz Saeed has been consistently making statements and speeches which provoke people of Pakistan against India. Such tirade against India will not help smoothen our relations.”

The inclusion of the Mumbai terror attacks,especially in the context of the Headley interrogation,in the initial statement by Krishna in Islamabad is significant given the remarks made a day earlier by Union Home Secretary G K Pillai at the Idea Exchange programme of The Indian Express.

Citing the Headley interrogation,Pillai said that it was clear that both the ISI and Saeed were involved in the Mumbai attacks “from the beginning till the end”.

Asked about Pillai’s remarks,Krishna said: “You can prejudge issues. I cannot prejudge issues as External Affairs Minister of India. I will have to sit with my counterpart,the Foreign Minister of Pakistan,and put forth our concerns based on Headley’s revelations and what we have gathered over a period of time.”

On the bid by Islamabad to raise the issue of alleged human rights violations in Kashmir,Krishna said: “India has always taken a consistent position. Whatever is happening in Kashmir is an internal matter of India. We are answerable to so many agencies about human rights in our own country. So we are not answerable to any other country.”