US for Mumbai suspects' trial in Pak: Report

A day after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee asked Pakistan to hand over the 26/11 perpetrators for which an extradition treaty is not required, a Pak media report on Friday claimed that the US administration, instead, is in favour of a trial in Pakistan itself.

According to Dawn News, the Bush administration has asked Islamabad to put on trial the perpetrators of Mumbai terror attacks inside Pakistan instead of extraditing them to India, signifying a change in the US’ position which earlier sought extradition of Mumbai terror suspects to India.

The sources told Dawn that the US has made Pakistan acquainted of its willingness to initiate “prosecution with sufficient efforts to ensure conviction”.

However, last week, the US had asked Pakistan to extradite those responsible for the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks to India.

According to the report, the US changed its mind after it comprehended the difficulties the Pakistani government would face in extraditing key Lashkar-e-Toiba leaders to India, chiefly when the two sides are not bound to an extradition treaty.

Notably, the reports in Pakistani media came after Mukherjee told reporters that the US pressure on Pakistan to act against perpetrators had “not produced tangible returns”.

Mukherjee has ruled out the requirement of an extradition treaty for handing over the suspects as Pakistan is party to various international conventions and arrangements starting from SAARC to various international conventions against taking hostages, conventions against bombings.

Mukherjee also told media that India has 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.”