Pakistan not likely to extradite Mumbai suspects: FO
Thursday, 25 Jun, 2009 | 02:26 PM PST |
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Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. — Reuters
World
India issues warrants for 22 more Mumbai suspects
Facing Facts
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has not received a formal request from India to hand over a group of suspects in last year's deadly Mumbai terrorist attacks and probably would not do so if it did, a government spokesman said.
An Indian court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for 22 Pakistanis accused of masterminding the attacks, in which teams of armed militants rampaged through India's commercial capital, leaving 166 people dead after a three-day siege.
Indian prosecutors demanded that Islamabad extradite all the suspects, though Pakistan previously said it would not transfer any Mumbai suspects and instead would try them in its own courts if there is enough evidence.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said Wednesday that Pakistan and India have no extradition treaty and that no request had been received to hand over the suspects.
Among those sought for arrest are Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, founder of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-i-Taiba — which India blames for the launching attacks — and Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi and Zarrar Shah, two leaders of the group.
‘I understand these people were not present there in the crime scene in any case,’ Basit told Associated Press Television News.
He reiterated that if there was evidence that Pakistanis were involved in the attacks they would be tried in Pakistani courts, and said the Indian government should hand over any evidence it has in that regard.
‘We are cooperating from day one, and we arrested a few individuals and they are still behind bars in detention and we wish that India had provided us all the relevant material in one go rather than in instalments,’ Basit said.
Pakistan arrested Saeed, Lakhvi and Shah in December after Indian diplomats provided a dossier of evidence in a rare sharing of intelligence between the two countries.
But a court in Lahore earlier this month freed Saeed from house arrest, saying there was not enough evidence against him to keep him detained.
India condemned his release as proof Pakistan was not serious about fighting extremist groups on its soil.
The case is adding tension to the relationship between the two countries even as they try to resume peace talks that were broken off after the Mumbai siege.
The warrants emerged from the ongoing trial of Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the only surviving suspected gunman in the attacks. — AP
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Pakistan not likely to extradite Mumbai suspects: FO
Thursday, 25 Jun, 2009 | 02:26 PM PST |
font-size small font-size largefont-sizeprintemail share
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. — Reuters
World
India issues warrants for 22 more Mumbai suspects
Facing Facts
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has not received a formal request from India to hand over a group of suspects in last year's deadly Mumbai terrorist attacks and probably would not do so if it did, a government spokesman said.
An Indian court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for 22 Pakistanis accused of masterminding the attacks, in which teams of armed militants rampaged through India's commercial capital, leaving 166 people dead after a three-day siege.
Indian prosecutors demanded that Islamabad extradite all the suspects, though Pakistan previously said it would not transfer any Mumbai suspects and instead would try them in its own courts if there is enough evidence.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said Wednesday that Pakistan and India have no extradition treaty and that no request had been received to hand over the suspects.
Among those sought for arrest are Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, founder of the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-i-Taiba — which India blames for the launching attacks — and Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi and Zarrar Shah, two leaders of the group.
‘I understand these people were not present there in the crime scene in any case,’ Basit told Associated Press Television News.
He reiterated that if there was evidence that Pakistanis were involved in the attacks they would be tried in Pakistani courts, and said the Indian government should hand over any evidence it has in that regard.
‘We are cooperating from day one, and we arrested a few individuals and they are still behind bars in detention and we wish that India had provided us all the relevant material in one go rather than in instalments,’ Basit said.
Pakistan arrested Saeed, Lakhvi and Shah in December after Indian diplomats provided a dossier of evidence in a rare sharing of intelligence between the two countries.
But a court in Lahore earlier this month freed Saeed from house arrest, saying there was not enough evidence against him to keep him detained.
India condemned his release as proof Pakistan was not serious about fighting extremist groups on its soil.
The case is adding tension to the relationship between the two countries even as they try to resume peace talks that were broken off after the Mumbai siege.
The warrants emerged from the ongoing trial of Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the only surviving suspected gunman in the attacks. — AP
DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Pakistan not likely to extradite Mumbai suspects: FO