M A I N   N E W S

Extradition of wanted men
US changes tune, Pak sings it too
‘Punish them in Pak’

Islamabad, January 2
The US administration is asking Pakistan to ensure that those responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks are punished inside the country instead of being extradited to India, according to a media report.

The Bush administration has informed the Pakistan government that it would like it to initiate “prosecution with sufficient efforts to ensure conviction” of those behind the Mumbai incident, the Dawn newspaper quoted US sources as saying.

The move is a “clear change” in the attitude of the US, which earlier had backed the Indian demand that some of the suspects be extradited to India.

US officials had earlier supported India’s demand for the handing over of those behind the attacks but the change in their attitude followed a realisation in Washington that it would not be easy for the Pakistan government to extradite key Lashker-e-Taiba leaders to India, the sources said.

In their negotiations with US officials on this issue, the Pakistanis insisted that the extradition of Pakistani citizens to India particularly when the two countries did not have an extradition treaty would have unpredictable consequences for the government, the sources said. — PTI

It will harm ties: Qureshi

Islamabad, January 2
Pakistan has rejected India's demand for extradition of the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, saying there was no extradition treaty between the two countries.

“There is no extradition treaty between India and Pakistan. We are keen on rebuilding our internal institutions. So if we engage in these issues, it will be harmful for Pakistan,” foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told Geo TV.

He was asked whether India and America have made demands for handing over terror suspects — Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and Hafiz Mohammed Saeed.

Qureshi’s remarks assume significance in the wake of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee yesterday saying that there was no need for an extradition treaty to take action on these matters. Pakistan is yet to demonstrate “tangible” action against the perpetrators though it is obliged to do so under international laws, Mukherjee had said.

Asked about the Wall Street Journal report that quoted Pakistani government sources saying that a LeT commander had confessed that all terrorists who attacked Mumbai were Pakistanis, he said, “I think I don’t believe that government sources are involved here.”

Stating that terrorism was a common enemy, the minister said Pakistan and India should defeat it together. “Terrorism is our common enemy. We have to defeat it together. Pakistan is always ready for constructive cooperation,” he said.

He said Pakistan has made progress in its own investigation into the possible involvement of elements in the country in the Mumbai terror attacks but can push things forward only after India shares evidence on the incident.

“We have made progress in our investigation and we are examining (things). We want to examine what the world is saying to us and we are awaiting India’s dossier. Keeping all these things before us, we are clear that we will do whatever is in Pakistan’s interest,” Qureshi said.

He refused to provide details on the progress that had been made, saying this could affect the probe. “To speculate on the probe at this juncture will affect the quality of investigations,” he informed.

“One has to proceed from the scene of the crime towards the criminal. We have to see what evidence India has. The scene of the crime is Mumbai and we will get the leads from Mumbai. We have to take the leads and follow them wherever they lead, whether to India or Pakistan,” he told.

“If the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks are to be brought to justice, the evidence that is collected has to stand up to the scrutiny of cross-examination”, he said.

“This is not an easy task. If we are not communicating, then how can we cooperate?” Qureshi asked, adding that Pakistan has been strengthened after India said the government and state institutions were not involved in the Mumbai attacks.

Asked if India had said the Inter-Services Intelligence was not involved in the incident, he replied: “They are saying no (state) institution is involved.”

Referring to the tensions sparked by the Mumbai attacks, he said Pakistan had received information that India was “seriously contemplating surgical strikes” and that naval vessels of the eastern command had been shifted to the western command. There was other information on India’s preparations that he said he could not divulge.

“Pakistan took steps accordingly and sent out a loud and clear message that this would escalate the situation and increase tensions. Pakistan does not want war but if war is imposed on us, we know how to defend ourselves,” he said.

The tensions have defused following some “positive indications” that emanated from New Delhi, including External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s statement that no ultimatum had been given to Pakistan to crack down on militants and the contact between the Directors General of Military Operations, he said.

Qureshi said it was also a “very big positive sign” that India and Pakistan had yesterday exchanged list of their nuclear facilities under a 1988 agreement that bars attacks on such installations in the event of hostilities.

The minister refused to “comment or speculate” on recent reports in the Pakistani media that four Indian nationals were arrested for a car bomb attack in the eastern city of Lahore.

“Irresponsible reporting also had a role in these tensions,” he said.

Asked if Pakistan would consider pardoning Sarabjit Singh, an Indian sentenced to death for alleged involvement in four bomb blasts that killed 14 people in the Punjab province in 1990, he replied: “When you sit and hold discussions in a good environment, everything is possible. The sky is the limit. We need political will and a vision. We have a clear vision for Pakistan. Keeping that vision in mind, we have decided to improve relations with India in our own interest.”

He described the Kashmir dispute as “a genuine problem because of which there are tensions between India and Pakistan”.

“Let us sit and resolve it. It will not be easy but we can move forward incrementally and for that we have some confidence-building measures,” the minister said. — PTI