Krishna said he would press Pakistan on the progress of its probe into the Mumbai attacks as he prepared to hold talks aimed at reviving a peace process broken off after the assault.
The remarks by Krishna came as India’s Home Secretary G.K. Pillai accused Pakistan’s powerful spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), of controlling and coordinating the 2008 attacks on Mumbai that killed 166 people.
In an interview published on Wednesday, Pillai accused ISI of playing a key role in the attacks.
“It was not just a peripheral role. They (the agency) were literally controlling and coordinating it from the beginning till the end,” Pillai told the Indian Express newspaper.
Pillai told the newspaper that new information about the role of the agency had emerged from the interrogation of David Coleman Headley, an American who pleaded guilty in the US in March to being involved in the attacks.
He was subsequently questioned by Indian investigators.
However, Krishna told reporters at Islamabad airport upon arrival, “I am carrying with me a message of peace and friendship and we hope to undertake the voyage of peace, however long and arduous.”
“We hope to discuss all issues of mutual interest and concerns that can contribute to restoring trust and building confidence in our bilateral relationship,” he said.
Krishna said he was looking forward to receiving feedback from Pakistan on India’s “core concern of terrorism.”
Krishna and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi are due to meet on Thursday as part of efforts to revive a peace dialogue crucial not only for improving their ties but also the security outlook in Afghanistan where the two countries vie for influence. “India is committed to resolving all issues with Pakistan through a peaceful dialogue and negotiations based on mutual trust and confidence,” Krishna said.
India last year linked ISI with the attacks, saying the perpetrators were “clients and creations” of the agency. Pakistan has denied the charge.
India has blamed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants for the Mumbai attacks and has also linked ISI to the attacks, which Pakistan denied. Pillai’s comments were the most direct accusation yet of Pakistan by India.
Krishna said the issue of terrorism was discussed during last month’s visit of Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram to Pakistan and he would raise it again in talks with Qureshi on Thursday.
“I also look forward to receiving feedback on the issues raised... particularly in the light of discussions our home minister had in Pakistan in the context of the interrogation of Headley regarding the Mumbai terrorist attack.” India broke off a 4-year-old peace process with Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks, saying reviving the dialogue would depend on action against LeT and its chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who New Delhi says masterminded the assault.
Pakistan has put seven militants on trial for the Mumbai attacks but has maintained that India has not provided enough evidence to prosecute Saeed.
— With input from agencies
