Awaiting action against 26/11 accused: Krishna

India on Sunday said it was waiting for visible and credible action against the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks...

India on Sunday said it was waiting for visible and credible action against the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks and that it is yet to receive official communication about the Pakistan governments decision to appeal against the release of the Jamat-ud-Dawa Chief Hafiz Saeed in a higher court.

The brain behind the terror attack Saeed has been released.We have not heard about Pakistan government taking it up in an appeal. So in the light of that,conflicting signals are emanating from Pakistan, External Affairs Minister,S M Krishna told the PTI on his way back from his four-day visit to Japan. He said India would very cautiously and responsibly evaluate these signals.

When asked what credible action India expects from Pakistan,Krishna said: Well,it is very simple,we want perpetrators of the Mumbai attack brought to justice. That is the only thing India is asking for and we are waiting. I have repeatedly said that it action against the perpetrators has to be visible and it has to be credible. There must be some commitment on the part of Pakistan that they are going after the Mumbai attackers.

Krishna said that if required,he would meet his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit meeting in Egypt later this month. If there is a requirement,I will be too willing to meet with the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Anyway,we are going to be under the same roof. So,let us see how things move on, he said,adding that India has never hesitated from holding talks with Pakistan at any level.

Asked about suggestions from the international community that India should talk with Pakistan,Krishna said: India has never said no to talks with Pakistan. India has taken a very consistent position that we will talk. But we will talk about terror. India is ever willing to talk about terror.

The minster said he was looking forward to the forthcoming visit of the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and said he would raise the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan with her. We will be looking at terror per se because terror has become one of the hottest topics of discussions with foreign ministers. So,while dealing with terror,naturally,Pakistan assumes importance, Krishna said. The Minister also said India was not averse to discussing Kashmir with Pakistan.

I do not know whether I would agree with the projection that Kashmir is the key among Indo-Pak issues. India has its own issues. We are not unwilling to talk to Pakistan on Kashmir. It is part and parcel of the composite dialogue,which has already been agreed upon. So,we are willing to talks on anything with Pakistan, Krishna said. PTI

Krishna to discuss safety of students with Aussie govt

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ON BOARD SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: External Affairs Minster S M Krishna has said that the safety of Indian students in Australia,who have been targeted frequently in the past few months,will figure prominently in his talks with the Australian leadership during his visit to that country. Certainly,the safety and well being of our students in Australia will figure in my talks with the Australian leadership, Krishna said. PTI