External affairs minister S.M. Krishna insisted on Wednesday that dialogue with Pakistan will continue in spite of the disclosures made by a Canadian newspaper, which published certain Unites States court documents in which Rana has claimed that he was working for the ISI.
“These are two different aspects. Peace talks will go on, cricket matches will go on and simultaneously our relentless efforts will continue to bring to justice all those responsible for the heinous crime against India in Mumbai,” Mr Krishna told reporters outside his South Block office.
“There are no contradictions in that position,” the minister explained, before going on to add, “I have said that both these things will have to go on ... just look at the Sharm el-Sheikh declaration.”
The relevant portion of the text of the India-Pakistan joint statement issued in Sharm el-Sheikh after the July 16, 2009 talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart, Mr Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, reads: “Both Prime Ministers recognised that dialogue is the only way forward. Action on terrorism should not be linked to the composite dialogue process and these should not be bracketed.”
Indian agencies were in the process of strengthening their case against Rana and his accomplice and Pakistani-American LeT operative David Headley and once armed with evidence, the National Investigation Agency may file a chargesheet against them.
The agencies had also requested the FBI for intercepts of conversations of Headley, Rana and others named by Headley in his confessional statement to the NIA last year.
Government officials were also linking the recent disclosures of Rana in the American media to the visit of ISI chief Shuja Pasha to Washington DC with a list of demands.
“We need to be a little sceptical since the media reports appeared at a time when the ISI chief was in the United States.”
“However, as far as we are concerned, it is only corroborating our stand that the ISI was controlling the 26/11 operation from beginning to end,” an official said.
The trial of Rana (49), a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, was set to begin in the United States on May 16.
Rana is accused of helping Headley set up an office in Mumbai which was to provide the cover for Headley’s visits to India to identify possible targets.