New Delhi, Jan 01: The US has shared with Pakistan
"strong evidence" about involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) in the Mumbai attacks, External Affairs Minister Pranab
Mukherjee said on Thursday and asked Islamabad to hand over the
perpetrators for which an Extradition Treaty is not required.
"We have been told that there is some strong evidence
available with FBI and they have shared it with Pakistan. We
expect that Pakistan will act on them and hand over the
perpetrators of terror attack in Mumbai to us," Mukherjee told
media.
The Minister said it was expected of Pakistan to take
action against the perpetrators of terror attacks in the wake
of evidence provided to them and various international
conventions pacts to which Islamabad is party to.
Asked whether an Extradition Treaty was needed for
Islamabad to hand over the attackers, he said, "it is not
required to take action on these matters" as Pakistan is party
to various international conventions and arrangements starting
from SAARC to various international conventions against taking
hostages, conventions against bombings.
Mukherjee said "tangible" results about Pakistani
cooperation on the Mumbai terror attack is "yet to be
achieved".
His comments assume significance as these came a day
after media reports in the US said that top LeT commander
Zarar Shah has confessed the group's involvement and the US
provided Islamabad with the tape of a conversation his
associate Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, the alleged mastermind,
had with the gunmen.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, January 01, 2009, 00:00