On Board Special Aircraft:
Home Minister P Chidambaram has said he will "politely" tell Pakistan that the time has come to address issues concerning the 26/11 Mumbai attacks with the seriousness that they warrant. And that Pakistan must expeditiously bring to justice all those behind the Mumbai attacks, including JuD Chief Hafiz Saeed and handlers which included some Pakistani Army personnel.
"I will use the opportunity to bring home to Pakistan gravity of issues and the need for response that is appropriate to the gravity of the situation," he told reporters accompanying him to Islamabad, where he will attend the SAARC Home Ministers' Conference and also hold talks with his counterpart Rahman Malik.
"It has been 18 months since I took over. The time has come to address these issues (regarding Mumbai attacks) with seriousness that they warrant. That is what I am going to tell them politely," Chidambaram said.
He said he will take the opportunity to exchange views on matters that have been concerning India for the last 18 months.
Asked whether he would raise the issue of Hafiz Saeed with Malik, Chidambaram said: "Hafiz Saeed is one among them. There are controllers, there are handlers, so we need to know what action they will take against them. These matters cannot be ignored for ever. Somebody has to address these issues sometime or the other."
He said he would also take up other issues like infiltration on the border of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistanis who have infiltrated and are indulging in militant activities. On whether he will seek voice samples of the 26/11 handlers, he said: "Surely they (Pakistan) can give us voice samples of handlers. Now it is universally acknowledged that handlers were in Pakistan. We think we know who the handlers were. Surely, they can give us voice samples. We have recordings on our side."
Asked whether Pakistan had declined to give voice samples at any point of time, Chidambaram said one of the dossiers given by Pakistan said a couple of people had declined to give their voice samples.
When asked whether India will accept Pakistan giving voice samples to any third country, he said: "I suggested one time that don't give it to us. Give it to a third country so that it is subjected to forensic analysis in a third country.
Asked whether Pakistani Army personnel were among the handlers of the 26/11 attackers, he said: "If you are quoting from the dossier (that India gave to Pakistan) you are quoting correctly. But I do not know whether they are real names or assumed names."
Asked whether the handlers included two Pakistani Army Majors, Chidambaram said: "That is what the dossier said." On whether he would raise the Headley connection to the attacks, he said he won't do it directly.