Up to Pak to expose the plot on 26/11

Question from the media: Two or three weeks ago you said that in the "very near future", the foreign secretary will travel to Pakistan. Are you rescheduling that "near future" to something else?
Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs: The two foreign secretaries remain in touch. If there are any developments, we will let you know.

Question: Sir, you've been hearing what David Headley has had to say these past few days. Regardless of whether there are foreign secretary (FS)-level talks, what is the Indian government going to tell Pakistan, and what is it going to ask?

Swarup: Headley's testimony is in relationship to the Mumbai terrorist attack and it is self-explanatory. We have always maintained that it is up to Pakistan to investigate and expose fully the conspiracy in that country behind the Mumbai attack and to bring all concerned to justice. Headley's deposition confirms this view, if any confirmation was needed, after Ajmal Kasab's confession.

Question: How much can we trust Headley? After all, he is a double agent. And how much weight do we give to his testimony?
Swarup: As far as we are concerned, this is a testimony, a sworn testimony, that he is giving, which is admissible in a court of law and we will go by what he has to say.

Question: Pakistan has threatened to pull out of the T20 World Cup, if its games are not scheduled in neutral venues. Would you like to comment on that?
Swarup: Anurag Thakur has already commented on this. We have nothing to add to that.

Question: Pervez Musharraf has admitted the ISI trains the LeT and other people and their leader Hafiz Saeed is a hero in Pakistan. Would you care to react to this statement?
Swarup: Musharraf's admission of the ISI's involvement in terrorist activities in India speaks for itself and reinforces once again the need for stopping support to terrorism by state actors in our region. This is coming from someone who has held the highest office in Pakistan.

Question: Sir, the belief of many people following the Indo-Pakistan ties is that in the beginning the concern shown by Pakistan was actually anger management towards India. And you, too, may have read that the Pakistani media has reported in recent times that all proofs given by you have been discarded there. So, is your wait endless?
Swarup: First, the reports in the media that you have referred to - has any Pakistani official said this officially? We have not heard this. Second, both national security advisors (NSA) are in touch with each other. Whatever emerges from their conversation will be the basis for us to proceed.

Question: A few days ago, the Pakistan High Commissioner met a few Hurriyat leaders. What is our stand on it?
Swarup: Our stand on Jammu and Kashmir is absolutely clear. It is an integral part of India and if we have to have any dialogue with Pakistan on this, it should only be bilaterally; we will not tolerate the involvement of any third party in this dialogue.

Question: You said there was a conversation between the NSA and the FS of Pakistan and that they are in regular touch. Pakistan said it would send an SIT team to investigate the Pathankot attacks. What happened to that?

Swarup: I'm not going to give details on which date, at what time they talked. As I said - and this has been corroborated by Pakistan - if you see the statements of their foreign ministry's spokesperson, he is also saying that both FSes and NSAs are in touch with each other. And if any new development takes place, we will let you know.

Question: About the SIT from Pakistan for Pathankot...?
Swarup: About the SIT, I have said even earlier that this was a proposal that had come from Pakistan. After that, they have to firm up this proposal. If they say this SIT team is coming, and it is coming under a particular legal procedure, then we will see.

Question: Sir, you just said that you would move ahead on the FS-level talks after the NSAs have tied up things….
Swarup: No, I never said that….

Question: No, you said that you would move forward on the basis of the talks between the NSAs….
Swarup: No, I said, we would move forward on the basis of… the question was asked in the context of the Pathankot terrorist attack and my answer was in that context. I said these reports that are coming that Pakistan has rubbished our evidence and all that… as I said, these are media reports. We will go by the official channel of communication on this subject, which has been between the two NSAs.

Question: Does that, in effect, mean you will wait for the go-ahead from the NSA before you schedule FS-level talks?
Swarup: I have not said that. The two foreign secretaries are independently in touch, the two NSAs are independently in touch. If there are any further developments, we will let you know.

Question: Pakistan has given a new offer to demilitarise Siachen. What would you like to say about it?
Swarup: As you know, Siachen was one of the issues in the Composite Dialogue that used to happen earlier between India and Pakistan, and when the new Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue begins, Siachen will be part of that as well. So, under that dialogue, the Siachen issue will also be raised. Both sides will discuss it and we will see what decision is taken on it.

Question: This is a question about the US aid that has been announced for Pakistan. Any comments from India on this? Because, it also includes military aid.
Swarup: Our position on this has been made clear on a number of occasions that we believe that all such military aid, actually goes directly into activities directed at India and it should not be given.
Edited excerpts from a briefing by Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, in New Delhi, on February 12