Take seriously revelations made by Headley: Krishna tells Pak

Anil K Joseph
On Board Special Aircraft, Jul 20 (PTI) Talking tough,
Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna Tuesday told
Pakistan to take "seriously" the revelations made by LeT
operative David Headley on the Mumbai attacks and not "push
them under the carpet".
Faced with a series of flip-flops from Pakistan,
India's concerns with regard to the 26/11 attacks will only be
addressed "slowly" by that country, the Minister believed.
"Whatever Headley has told the FBI has to be taken
seriously by Pakistan and India's concerns have to be
addressed," he told reporters accompanying him on his way back
from Kabul, where he attended the International Conference on
Afghanistan.
He was responding to a question on Home Secretary G K
Pillai's contention that ISI was involved in the Mumbai terror
attacks.
"Whether we like it or not, Headley's statements have
come into the public domain. His revelations cannot be brushed
under the carpet," Krishna said.
Headley had told Indian investigators in Chicago that
the ISI was involved in the planning of the 26/11 attacks from
"beginning to the end".
During his visit to Islamabad in June, Home Minister P
Chidambaram had provided leads to Pakistan based on Headley's
interrogation by Indian authorities.
Krishna's comments came on a day Pakistan dismissed as
"baseless" India's contention that Headley was linked to the
Pakistani establishment and intelligence agencies.
Asked about the roadmap for the Indo-Pak talks,
Krishna made it clear that New Delhi was keen to continue the
dialogue process with Pakistan.
"I have just concluded one dialogue. As I have said
earlier I have invited Foreign Minister Qureshi to visit India
in the later part of the year. So, I am looking forward to
that so that we can take it up from where we left in
Islamabad," he said.
Krishna, who met his US counterpart Hillary Clinton on
the sidelines of the International Conference, said he gave
her his assessment of the situation in the region and his
talks with Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
He said he told Clinton that India wanted a dialogue
which could continue.
"I mentioned that India wanted a dialogue which could
continue. It was not a dialogue which could be over in one
sitting. I think there has to be continuity to the dialogue.
because the nature of the problems that we have inherited over
60 years cannot be resolved by one dialogue, two or three
dialogues," he said.
Krishna said there has to be an institutional
mechanism for resolving the concerns between India and
Pakistan.
"So I gave my assessment of the situation. India
wanted a graduated approach to settle the problems (with
Pakistan). First we should dispose of those which are doables
which take very little complexities. We can deal with other
problems later on when we meet again," he said.
Asked whether Kashmir issue came up during his
discussion with Clinton, Krishna replied in the negative.
The US Secretary of State, who was in Islamabad
yesterday, had said that the Kashmir issue is an "impediment"
in developing a relationship that will be beneficial to both
India and Pakistan.
"Kashmir (issue) that have divided India and Pakistan
and in my view are impediments to developing a relationship
that would be beneficial to both countries," she had said. PTI
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