Pakistan on Monday turned down British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's request for allowing UK authorities to interrogate the Pakistani suspects arrested in connection with the Mumbai terror attacks, saying it will not hand over any of its nationals to a foreign country and will act on them according to the country's own laws.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told the National Assembly that no Pakistani citizen will be handed over to any foreign country and British authorities will not be allowed to question the suspects. "I told him [Brown] we will not allow it because this is our country and our laws will apply here. We will act (against the suspects) according to our own laws," Gilani said, as loud thumping by lawmakers greeted his statement.
Reflecting UK's desire to be involved in the probe into the Mumbai terror attacks, Premier Gordon Brown had requested both India and Pakistan that British police be allowed to quiz the lone surviving gunman as well as the suspects in custody.
Brown said he had requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that permission may be given to British police to interview Ajmal Amir Kasab, a Pakistani national lodged in Mumbai in an undisclosed location.
A similar request was made to President Asif Ali Zardari to allow the British police to interview the persons arrested in Pakistan for their suspected involvement in the Mumbai attacks in which at least one British citizen died. Brown said he has left it to the two leaders to decide on his request. A response in this regard is still awaited from India.