The Hindu : `Ready for extradition treaty with India'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 10, 2002

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`Ready for extradition treaty with India'
By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 9. Pakistan said today it had dropped the idea of sending its list of people wanted from India and urged New Delhi to come to the negotiating table to conclude an extradition treaty to deal with issues of fugitives from each other's country.

In an interview here, the Pakistan Foreign Minister, Abdul Sattar, said the list of 20 given by India pertained to crimes committed in the last two decades and had nothing to do with the December 13 attack on Parliament.

``Let me say without any hesitation that there is absolutely no reason for either country to give protection for people who have committed crimes in each other's country. But for the purpose there is need for an extradition treaty,'' he argued.

Mr. Sattar said that under the proposed extradition treaty both sides could agree prospectively for the extradition of fugitives.

``Extradition is a complicated legal process. Take the case of the United States. When it made a request for the extradition of Omar Sheikh, we were given a lot of documentation. Plus a judge concerned has made a determination that the person needed to be produced in the court'', the Minister said.

Going back to history would not serve any purpose and Pakistan was ready to negotiate an extradition treaty with India to extradite wanted for future crimes. There could be no comparison between India's requests for extradition of wanted persons with that of U.S. as Pakistan's relations with both the countries were on a different footing.

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