US has given evidence to Pak, it should act now: Pranab

New Delhi, Jan 03, 2008

India on Thursday said the US has provided "strong evidence" to Pakistan about involvement of Lashkar-e-Taiba in the Mumbai attacks and that Islamabad should now hand over the culprits for which no Extradition Treaty is required.

A day after US media reports said a key Lashkar operative had "confessed" to involvement in the Mumbai attacks, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Pakistan is yet to demonstrate "tangible" action against the perpetrators though it is obliged to do so under international laws.

"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," he told the news agency.

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 to which Islamabad is a signatory.

Asked whether an Extradition Treaty was needed for Islamabad to hand over the attackers, he said, "Extradition Treaty 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.

On whether the US pressure on Pakistan was working, Mukherjee said "tangible" results about Pakistani cooperation on the Mumbai terror attack is "yet to be achieved".

US media reports yesterday 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 Mumbai attackers.

In the wake of the latest developments, Mukherjee asked Pakistan to act on the "advice" of the world community and as per the international conventions besides its own commitments.