Krishna speaks to Qureshi, seeks speedier 26/11 probe

NEW DELHI - In the first high-level official conversation in months, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Wednesday spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi and indicated New Delhi’s willingness to engage Islamabad if it expedited the probe to bring to justice the perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai carnage.

Krishna stressed the need for Pakistan “to unravel the full conspiracy behind the Mumbai terrorist attack and act on the leads provided (by India) and (that) available in Pakistan.

He also urged that India be informed of the results of the investigations into the Nov 26-29, 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed the lives of 166 people, including 26 foreigners.

This was the first conversation between Krishna and Qureshi since they held talks on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York in September last year and indicated a desire by both countries to re-activate channels of communication at high levels.

The two foreign ministers were present in Port of Spain Nov 27-29 last year, but decided against holding talks on the sidelines of the Commonwealth summit amid a deepening chill in ties between the two countries that stalled their dialogue after the Mumbai massacre.

During their telephonic conversation, Krishna and Qureshi reviewed the status of the trial in Pakistan of the accused and proclaimed offenders in the Mumbai attack case.

Conveying his New Year wishes to Qureshi, Krishna underscored the need for expeditiously bringing the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice urged that India be kept informed of the progress of the trial, the external affairs ministry said in a statement here.

The telephonic conversation came a day after peaceniks from India and Pakistan urged their governments to resume the composite dialogue process, which they stressed should be “uninterrupted and uninterruptible” even if relations between the two countries sour in future.

Amid a sharp rise in ceasefire violations and continued infiltration across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, Krishna pointed out that Pakistan needed to take effective steps to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism which exists in Pakistan and continues to be used for anti-India activities”.

Krishna thanked Pakistan for the recent release of 100 Indian fishermen and expressed the hope that over 500 Indian fishermen and over 400 Indian fishing boats still in Pakistans custody will also be freed soon.

India had released 31 Pakistani fishermen and will soon release the 19 remaining ones whose nationality has been confirmed by Pakistan, Krishna told Qureshi.

The two leaders agreed to pursue further cooperation on other humanitarian issues, such as those relating to prisoners, the external affairs ministry said.

Two days ago, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor had pointed out India’s willingness to engage Pakistan provided Pakistan addressed its concerns over cross-border terrorism and punished the terrorists linked to 26/11.