No love lost for Hafiz Saeed: Hina Rabbani Khar
Islamabad: As Delhi puts the 26/11 attacks trial on centrestage in talks with Islamabad, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar has told NDTV that her government has “no love lost” Hafiz Mohammad Saeed or individuals like him. He is not a crony of the Pakistani government, Ms Khar said.
India considers Hafiz Saeed to be the mastermind behind the November 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai that claimed 166 lives.
Ms Khar also said that India needs to do more to provide more evidence and information about his links to the 26/11 attacks. This will allow courts in Pakistan to take a decision on trying Saeed, she said, adding that that if Islamabad’s request for a Pakistani judicial commission to visit India and examine witnesses in the 26/11 probe is agreed to, then the trial would get momentum.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV’s Barkha Dutt, Ms Khar said that Pakistan could also bring up the terror attack on the cross-border Samjhauta Express train in which its citizens died, but didn’t want “tit-for-tat politics”.
India’s Foreign Minister SM Krishna is in Islamabad on three-day visit to take forward the bilateral dialogue between the two countries. The outcome of this visit will determine if the Prime Minister will go to Pakistan. He has agreed in principle to the visit. Dr Singh met the Pakistani PM in Tehran last week on the sidelines of the NAM meet.
