Islamabad: 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-Toiba operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azar and Hafiz Mohammed Saeed.
Qureshi's remarks assume significance in the wake of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday 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.
Qureshi said Pakistan has conducted its own "independent investigations" into the charges of Pakistani elements involved in the Mumbai terror strikes.
"We will do everything in the interests of India and Pakistan," he said.
Asked about the Wall Street Journal report which quoted Pakistani government sources saying that a LeT commander had confessed that all terrorists who attacked Mumbai were Pakistanis, Qureshi 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," Qureshi said.
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