Pakistan needs to seriously introspect: Nirupama Rao

New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has said that Pakistan needs to do some serious introspection on the use of terror as an instrument of policy against India.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV's Group Editor Barkha Dutt, Nirupama Rao said that both state and non-state actors are involved in unleashing terror in India.

She also said that Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was wrong to say that SM Krishna, his Indian counterpart, backed him in his criticism of India's Home Secretary GK Pillai. (Read: After 6-hour-long talks, Pakistan slams Pillai)

"India did not express any agreement with Pakistan's comments on Pillai," she said. (Watch: Krishna never backed Qureshi on Pillai: Home Secy)

The Foreign Secretary added that Home Secretary Pillai had raised valid concerns. She said, "We are definitely concerned about the role of state actors in terrorism."  (Read & Watch full interview)

She,however, maintained that the talks have not collapsed. "There aredifferences in perception but the gap is not unbridgeable." She saidthat the tone and tenor of Qureshi's remarks could have been better,adding, "In diplomacy, as in life, such ups and downs are common." (Read: No breakthrough, public spat: Pak blames India)

Inan interview to the Indian Express earlier this week, Pillai had saidthat David Headley's questioning had confirmed "ISI had a much moresignificant role to play in Mumbai attacks... ISI was literallycontrolling and coordinating the attacks from the beginning till theend." Headley was interrogated in America recently by Indian officials.(Read: ISI men gave 25 lakhs to buy boat for Kasab, others, says Headley)

TheBJP has attacked SM Krishna for not defending Pillai, who was attackedby the Pakistani Foreign Minister during a press briefing on Thursdaynight that concluded six-hour talks between Krishna and Qureshi.Yashwant Sinha told NDTV, "He should have contradicted him immediatelyand set the record straight." (Watch: Regret Krishna did not defend Pillai, says BJP)

Duringthe press conference, Krishna did not object as Qureshi tried to equateremarks made by Pillai about the ISI's alleged role in the 26/11 tohate speeches made against India by Lashkar-e-Toiba leader Hafiz Saeed.(Read: Pillai's remarks uncalled for, says Pakistan)

Howeveron Friday, after returning to India from Islamabad, Krishna was clearin his support of Pillai. "Where is the question of comparison betweenthe two statements? Hafiz Saeed is a person who has been speaking outof turn against India. He has been crying for jihad against India. Wehave always said such people in Pakistan who incite hostile anti-Indiapropaganda will not help to smoothen the relationship between the twocountries. Pillai is supposed to have made a statement to a newspaperwhich certainly contains whatever has been told to us through ourinteraction with David Headley," said Krishna. (Indo-Pak talks in pics)

Healso stressed that the information provided by Headley, a Lashkaroperative arrested by America and interrogated recently by Indianofficials, had already been shared with Pakistan by Home Minister PChidambaram during his trip to Pakistan last month.  Sources say thatthe timing of Pillai's remarks was faulty.

Earlier, ForeignMinister Krishna also responded to SM Qureshi's taunts, made inIslamabad on Friday morning, that Krishna was on the phone repeatedlyto New Delhi during his talks with Qureshi. "I never used anytelephone...it's an extra-ordinary statement to make..I have not talkedto anybody.  But Foreign Ministers are always in touch with governmentleadership...there's nothing wrong with that," he said.  "But mymandate was so clear and precise that I did not need any additionalinstructions from Delhi." (Read: Qureshi taunts Krishna about calls from Delhi)