ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Friday apparently rejected an Indian request seeking the extradition of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the alleged mastermind of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, citing a lack of an extradition treaty between the two countries.
Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch confirmed the Indian request for the extradition in a statement. “Pakistan has received a request from the Indian authorities, seeking extradition of Hafiz Saeed in a so-called money laundering case,” the spokesperson said.
“It is pertinent to note that no bilateral extradition treaty exists between Pakistan and India,” she added.
Without explicitly saying, the statement clearly suggested that Pakistan would not entertain the Indian request because of the lack of an extradition treaty between the two countries.
Earlier, the Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson told reporters in New Delhi that the Indian government made a formal communication to extradite Hafiz Saeed.
“The person in question is wanted in numerous cases in India. He is also a UN-proscribed terrorist. In this regard, we have conveyed a request along with relevant supporting documents to the government of Pakistan to extradite him to India to face trial in a particular case,” the spokesperson told the media.
“We have been flagging the issue of activities that he’s been wanted for. This is a recent request,” he added.
Shortly after the Mumbai attacks, in December 2008, Saeed was listed at the UN 1267/1989 al-Qaida Sanctions Committee as an individual associated with the al-Qaida terrorist organisation and, thus, subject to international sanctions.
The US announced a reward of $10 million for information about Saeed.
Last year, a court sentenced him to 31 years imprisonment for terror financing. The move by Pakistan was aimed at complying with the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) plan of action to get out of its monitoring list.
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