[1]The first day of two-day talks between India’s foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai and his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani on Wednesday focused on terror, Abu Jundal’s startling revelations and Jammu and Kashmir.
Union home minister P. Chidambaram raised pressure on Islamabad, saying Jundal had clearly indicated the involvement of Pakistani 'state actors' in the 26/11 Mumbai carnage.
India noted Jundal confessed he and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba founder Hafiz Saeed were in the Pakistan “control room” during 26/11.
New Delhi also pointed to the issuance of a Pakistani passport to Jundal, voicing dismay at the slow pace of the 26/11 trial in Pakistan, saying that country had to do much more to bring the perpetrators to book.
The two delegations also discussed trade, travel, other confidence-building measures. On Jammu and Kashmir, the officials conferred on ways to boost commerce across the Line of Control.
MEA spokesperson Syed Akabaruddin said the foreign secretaries and their delegations had “two full sessions of detailed discussions covering all aspects”, and would resume parleys on Thursday on other items.
The signing of a pact on liberalised visas, which could not be done in May in Islamabad, might be taken up. Mr Jilani will call on external affairs minister S.M. Krishna on Thursday.
Mr Chidambaram, taking a hard line against Pakis-tan for its complicity in 26/11, said Wednesday the role of “state actors” in the Mumbai carnage has be-come increasingly clear . He said the 26/11 control room in Pakistan could not have been set up without “state support”.
The home ministry, in a detailed note to MEA, provided det-ails to prove that Pakistan was sheltering key 26/11 handler Abu Jundal.
The home ministry, in a detailed note to the MEA, has provided details to prove Pakistan was sheltering key 26/11 handler Abu Jundal. The MHA has also given copies of Jundal’s passport and ID cards provided to him in Pakistan, to the MEA to strengthen India’s case that Jundal indeed had found a 'safe haven' in Pakistan after 26/11.
Mr Chidambaram also said India knew who had trained Ajmal Amir Kasab and nine other terrorists who carried out the terror strikes in Mumbai, who briefed them and how the control room, from where directions were given, had functioned.
Separately while addressing a press conference, Mr Chidambaram said that Syed Zabiuddin Ansari, alias Abu Jundal, has corraborated what key 26/11 accused Ajmal Kasab had disclosed during interrogation.
“After Abu Jundal’s interrogation, it was clear that there were state actors. Dots are increasingly getting joined. Though there were
many pseudonyms, it is clear that state actors were there. Pictures are getting clearer and clearer. We have been able to know who were there and where they were,” he said.
Dismissing Pakistan’s claim that no state actors were involved in 26/11, the Home Minister said no sovereign state could allow terror activities from its soil. “I can’t allow any non-state actor carry out any terror activity in a neighbouring country,” he said.
On whether New Delhi would hand over Islamabad any dossier on Jundal during today’s Foreign Secretary-level talks, he said no 'dossier' would be given at this stage but Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai was free to share whatever he has been briefed about.
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