Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid. — File Photo by AFP

NEW DELHI: Not given to exercising diplomatic finesse with Pakistan, Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid has said his country is prepared to engage Islamabad in any bilateral format it prefers – be it cricket, or dialogue, or war, The Sunday Express said quoting a TV interview.

“Agar woh cricket ki bhasha samajhte hain, toh hum cricket ki bhasha samjhayenge, agar woh yuddh ki bhasha samajhte hain, toh hum yuddh ki bhasha samjhayenge, aur agar woh baatchit ki bhasha samajhte hain, toh hum baatchit ki bhasha samjhayenge (If Pakistan understands the language of cricket, we will speak to them in that language; if they understand the language of war, we will speak to them in that language; and if they understand the language of dialogue, we will speak to them in that language,” the minister said in an interview to India TV, widely regarded as a rightwing channel.

The paper quoted Mr Khurshid as saying that the future of India-Pakistan relations depended on action being taken against the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks and added that it was impossible to move ahead if Islamabad did not respond to a request for voice recordings of the alleged perpetrators of the attack.

“If there has to be further movement in our relations, Pakistan must show accountability. Our then home minister P. Chidambaram had given them a list of persons whose voice recordings were needed, but they did not send it,” he said.

Mr Khurshid is remembered for his abrasive ways with Pakistan in his stint as junior foreign minister.

The option of war between the two has not been mentioned at the foreign minister’s level since the two countries were locked in a military standoff in 2002.