India asks Pak to extradite perpetrators of Mumbai attack

New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) India Monday demanded from
Pakistan extradition of perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks so
that they can be brought to justice in India.

It also said that it cannot believe a commando-type
operation that was in evidence in Mumbai attacks could have
taken place without anybody in the Pakistani establishment
knowing it.

"Our goals are clear. We want the perepetrators to be
brought to Indian justice," India's Foreign Secretary Shiv
Shankar Menon told reporters here briefing them on the
material shared with Pakistan Monday on elements based there
linked to the terrorists responsible for the Mumbai carnage.

"All that we want is action and not words from
Pakistan. But so far there is no evidence of it," he said
replying to questions.

"We have given them material that has come up during
our investigations. We hope Pakistan will investigate this
material that leads to Pakistan, share the results with us and
extend to us legal assistance so that we can bring the
perpetrators to Indian justice," Menon said.

"The assistance from Pakistan extends up to and
includes extradition," he said.

Maintaining that the time was not for words but for
substance and action, Menon said so far India has "not seen
any action at all" from Pakistan.

"We would like to see real action as soon as
possible," he said in reply to a question on a time-frame for
a response from Pakistan.

Observing that the investigation into the serial
terror attacks in Mumbai were not over, the Foreign Secretary
said while the crime was committed in India, the conspiracy
was hatched in Pakistan.

"Hence we have requested Pakistan to fulfil her
commitments to us," he said.

Maintaining that New Delhi had earlier given evidence
to Islamabad on the deadly attack on Indian Embassy in Kabul,
Menon said "we are hoping that the previous pattern (of not
cooperating) is not repeated in this case."

Under international conventions and SAARC Charter,
Pakistan was obliged to extradite the perpetrators of the
terror attacks in India, he said.

The material handed over to Pakistan in New Delhi and
Islamabad includes the records of interrogation of arrested
terrorist Mohd Ajmal Kasab, details of the terrorists'
communication with elements in Pakistan during the attack,
details of the weapons or equipment recovered from the crime
scene and details of data recovered from GPS instruments and
satellite phones, Menon said.

"It is hard to believe that something of this scale
that took so long in preparation and of this nature that
amounts to a commando attack could occur without anybody,
anywhere in the establishment knowing this was happening. This
beggars my imagination.

Wherever the investigation leads, we will follow," the
Foreign Secretary said. PTI