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K J M Varma in Islamabad
In yet another dilatory approach to India's demand for 20 terrorists, Pakistan on Tuesday offered to negotiate a bilateral treaty that would provide a legal framework for extradition of criminals as and when the two sides resumed talks.
A bilateral treaty could be negotiated between India and Pakistan under which neither would provide refuge to criminals from each other's country, Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said in an interview published in Pakistan Observer.
"The policy not to harbour criminals should be made part of a bilateral treaty after the resumption of talks between the two countries," he told the daily.
Interestingly, Sattar has termed the list of 20 criminals and terrorists handed over by India as "fictitious", as it contained names of the people who have been involved in crimes long before the December 13 attack on Parliament.
On the prevailing tension between India and Pakistan, he said: "Mutual friends worked behind the scenes to bring it down."
Sattar declined to make a categorical statement on the allegation made by him that India was behind the abduction of American journalist Daniel Pearl, but said his government had information indicating that some of the suspects had contacts with New Delhi.
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