Pak can't ignore Headley: Krishna

Zeenews Bureau

On Board Special Aircraft: India on Tuesday asked Pakistan to take “serious note of revelations” by David Coleman Headley which could not be brushed aside as they were in public domain.

"Whatever Headley has told the FBI has to be taken seriously by all those concerned (Pakistan) and India's concerns have to be addressed," India’s External Affairs Minister SM Krishna told reporters told reporters accompanying him on his way back from Kabul, where he attended the International Conference on Afghanistan.

He said Headley's revelations are in public domain and they "cannot be brushed under the carpet".

Headley, a Pakistani-American terror convict, has revealed various aspects of Pakistani establishments support to terror groups including Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) during interrogation by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA).

He had said that the ISI was involved in the planning of the 26/11 attacks from "beginning to the end".

"All this information have been shared by India with Pakistan through the multiple dossiers given to it," an official with NIA had said.

"The information is in public domain, whether we like it or not," Krishna emphasised.

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.

The same revelation is said to be have put the bilateral talks between Krishna and his counterpart SM Qureshi in limbo last week.
On talks with Pakistan, Krishna said India has always supported the peace process.

“It is not a dialogue which could be over in one sitting. India wants a graduated approach to deal with the problems with Pakistan,” he said.

Responding to Qureshi’s charge, a part of his post-talks un-diplomatic rant, that India was not prepared to discuss all issues, Krishna said “all the problems can not be solved in one sitting.”

This is in addition to what he told a TV channel on Monday that talks have to be graduated.

Meanwhile he expressed full support to the Afghan integration plan aimed at ushering peace into the war-ravaged country, while cautioning against “compartmentalisation” in dealing with terrorism.

Krishna, while addressing an international conference on Afghanistan’s future, said, ‘We reiterate our commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan. India backs the Afghan integration plan meant for the all-round development of this nation.”

He stressed on the need for non-selectivity while dealing with terrorism, opining that it is a common concern to both India and Afghanistan.

“Terrorism cannot be compartmentalised. Terrorism is a common enemy to both India and Afghanistan, so we call for a combined effort to tackle this problem. Peace and stability can come in Afghanistan only if there is stability in its neighbourhood,” he said.

Talking tough, he further stated, “It is essential to ensure that support, sustenance and sanctuaries for terrorist organisations from outside Afghanistan are ended forthwith."