On Board Special Aircraft, July 20
Talking tough, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today told Pakistan to take "seriously" the revelations made by LeT operative David Headley on the Mumbai attacks and not "push these under the carpet". Faced with a series of flip-flops from Pakistan, India's concerns with regard to the 26/11 attacks would 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 GK Pillai's contention that the 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 the 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 conference, said he had given her his assessment of the situation in the region and his talks with Qureshi.

He said he had told Clinton that India wanted a dialogue which could continue. Krishna said there had to be an institutional mechanism for resolving the concerns between India and Pakistan. — PTI