Pakistan extends crackdown on suspects

Islamabad/Mumbai: Pakistan has intensified its crackdown on a militant group suspected in the Mumbai terror attacks by arresting 20 more people but will not hand any of its citizens over to India, officials said on Tuesday.

Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar said Pakistan has detained the founder of one of the main groups fighting Indian rule in Kashmir. Maulana Masood Azhar, head of the Jaish-e-Mohammad rebel group, is reported to be on a list of people that India last week asked Pakistan to extradite in the wake of the Mumbai sieg.

Azhar was held along with Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the operations chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant outfit, However, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmoud Qureshi said yesterday that none of those detained so far would face justice in India.

"They are Pakistani citizens and will be dealt with according to the law of the land," he said. "No arrested Pakistani would be handed over to India." he added.

The comments came as Indian police released the names of the nine suspected militants killed during the attack on Mumbai.

Opinion: Take a breath, Zardari writes

India and Pakistan, born together from the same revolution and mandate in 1947, must continue to move forward with the peace process to foil the designs of the terrorists, writes Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.

"India is a mature nation and a stable democracy. Pakistanis appreciate India's democratic contributions. But as rage fuelled by the Mumbai attacks catches on, Indians must pause and take a breath. India and Pakistan - and the rest of the world - must work together to track down the terrorists who caused mayhem in Mumbai, attacked New York, London and Madrid in the past, and destroyed the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad in September. The terrorists who killed my wife are connected by ideology to these enemies of civilisation," he writes.

Should Pakistan hand over suspects to India? Will Pakistan's stance severe ties with India?

I appreciate the prompt response from the Pakistan government, which should have been done long time ago but is not too late. I feel the interrogation has to be made in a transparent manner between both nations, promoting peace and the need of eternal relations.
Hajim Basha
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 10, 2008, 12:17

I think Pakistan should handover the suspects to India, as they do not belong to Pakistan or any other country. They are terrorists and no terrorist is loyal to his or her country. They just kill their own people and innocent people also in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan. I hope Pakistan believes in the friendship of its neighbours and brings peace in the region.
Naresh
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 10, 2008, 11:00

If Pakistan is looking for peace then handing them over is the right way to go.
Kajal Bhattacharyya
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: December 10, 2008, 10:27

If President Zardari believes that the terrorists are "stateless" and wants to cooperate with India then why does he not want to hand the suspects over to India? Pakistan has handed over terrorists to the US in the past so why not now? On the other hand he says that India should breathe easy? This house arrest was done in 2002 but nothing happened. Pakistan has to control its territory.
Manoj K.
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 10, 2008, 09:32

Pakistan should not hand over the suspects to India. Instead, they should seek justice by trying the suspects themselves. Pakistanis are already facing terrorism and suffering a lot. I think both countries should work together to solve this problem. Also, the role of Indian media should be positive. It was said that Pakistanis attacked them but in reality they were the enemies of human beings, not Pakistanis.
Shafqat Hassan
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 10, 2008, 09:30

Pakistan should hand over suspects to India.
Abid
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 10, 2008, 09:20

They should hand over suspects to India to avoid the repitition of what happened in the past.
Sijin Sankar
Ras Al Khaimah,UAE
Posted: December 10, 2008, 09:04

Pakistan should deal with its citizens with their own law and order. No country should be forced to handover its citizens to any other country under any circumstances.
Hassan
London,UK
Posted: December 10, 2008, 08:39

They have to face the trial in the country where the attacks were carried. Hence, Pakistan should hand over the suspects to India.
Zeeshan
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 10, 2008, 06:01

They should hand over the suspects to India and show that Pakistan is serious about bringing those who are responsible for the atrocities in Mumbai to justice.
Mukesh
Toronto,Canada
Posted: December 10, 2008, 02:38

It is better for Pakistan not to handover the suspects. Instead, they should detain and interrogate them in the court. It is called free justice.
Zaheer
Dubai,UAE
Posted: December 10, 2008, 00:56