This Article is From Jul 16, 2010

BJP: Why didn't Krishna defend Home Secretary Pillai when Pak slammed him?

New Delhi: Pakistani Foreign Minister SM Qureshi's outburst against India's Home Secretary, made in the presence of India's Foreign Minister, who did not react to the tirade, has escalated into a giant political controversy.

Qureshi and India's Foreign Affairs Minister, SM Krishna, held a joint press briefing on Thursday night, after six hours of talks in Islamabad.

The BJP and the Congress have both slammed Qureshi for trying to equate comments made by India's Home Secretary, GK Pillai, to hate speeches by  Hafiz Saeed, the man who India believes masterminded its worst-ever terror attack, 26/11.

The BJP said that it regrets that as SM Qureshi slammed India's Home Secretary, GK Pillai, at a joint press conference last night, India's Foreign Minister SM Krishna did not defend Pillai. (Watch: Regret Krishna did not defend Pillai, says BJP) "The Pakistani Foreign Minister was strong in articulation but deficient in content. He chose to attack the Home Secretary, we regret he was not defended by Krishna," said Ravi Shankar Prasad, general secretary of the BJP.

On Friday, the Congress spokesperson, Abhishekh Singhvi, said, "The Home Secretary was simply making a statement of fact about what India's stand has been. There is no basis of comparison for remarks made by the Home Secretary to those made by Hafiz Saeed... that would be ridiculous."

Singhvi also noted that Krishna has not confirmed Qureshi's remarks that both the ministers were of the opinion that Pillai's comments on ISI's role in 26/11 were "uncalled" for.

Pillai's comments, made in an interview to the Indian Express, said that David Coleman Headley, arrested by the US for planning and executing 26/11, had disclosed, "ISI had a much more significant role to play in Mumbai attacks... ISI was literally controlling and
coordinating the attacks from the beginning till the end." Headley was interrogated in America recently by Indian officials.

Qureshi slammed that remark of Pillai's, describing it as "uncalled for."  The outburst surprised Indian journalists for two reasons: Qureshi said that India's Foreign Affairs Minister SM Krishna agreed with his view; the other, that Qureshi made his statement on Pillai in response to a question on Hafiz Saeed. (Read: Pillai's remarks uncalled for, says Pakistan)

Prasad said he regretted that Krishna had not defended Pillai.

The BJP said the talks with Pakistan were pointless. "Yesterday, your channel showed how much aggressive infiltration took place by Pak rangers in Poonch area of Kashmir. Qureshi making issue of a statement by Pillai on what Headley said about ISI - they have no reply on content, they are comparing him with Hafiz Saeed! Mr Krishna went to Pak against public opinion in the country... unless Pak delivers action on 26/11, no worthwhile exchange can occur," said Prasad to NDTV. (Read: Indo-Pak talks - After 6-hour-long meeting, differences in public)

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