Pakistan rules out extradition of 'spy,' seeks info from India

Kulbhushan Yadav had admitted his role in militancy, a case is in the process of registration to prosecute him: Aziz

March 03, 2017 07:03 pm | Updated 07:45 pm IST - ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said a case was being prepared to prosecute alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav, claiming there was no question of lack of evidence against him.

Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said a case was being prepared to prosecute alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav, claiming there was no question of lack of evidence against him.

Pakistan on Friday made it clear that it will not “extradite” alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav and said more information on him has been sought from India.

Pakistan Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, during the Question Hour session in the Senate, said a case was being prepared to prosecute the alleged Indian spy arrested last year in March.

‘Questions handed over’

“A list of questions has also been handed over to India to seek more information from them in the light of the statements of Kulbhushan Yadav,” he said, without elaborating on when the questionnaire was given to New Delhi.

The discussion started when Senator Talha Mehmood asked Mr. Aziz whether the government was planning to hand over Mr. Yadav to India like it extradited CIA contractor Raymond Davis in 2011 who had killed two men in Lahore.

Mr. Aziz rejected the statement and said the government was not considering any option to “extradite” the alleged Indian spy back to his country.

“We have prepared an FIR and a case is in the process of registration to prosecute [the] Indian state actor for involvement in subversive and terrorist activities in Pakistan,” Mr. Aziz said, claiming that the arrested “spy” had “confessed” to his involvement in militancy and there was no question of lack of evidence against him.

Dossier shared with U.N. chief

Mr. Aziz said Pakistan has shared a dossier with the UN Secretary General on the alleged Indian involvement in Pakistan’s internal affairs and in “subversive and terrorist activities.”

“This dossier includes details about Kulbhushan Yadav and his activities,” he said.

Mr. Aziz said the government was also examining the possibility of sharing the dossier with other countries and international organisations.

Talking about the dossier presented to the U.N. chief, Mr. Aziz said it was based on thorough groundwork and inputs from various departments.

“This is a very delicate and sensitive issue and requires detailed preparations and homework as it relates to direct or indirect involvement of Indian state actor in subversive and terrorist activities in Pakistan,” he said.

World accepts our line, he says

Mr. Aziz also claimed that the world was accepting Pakistan’s position on the issue of India’s alleged involvement in militancy.

The government also came under criticism from the opposition when Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Aitzaz Ahsan asked why Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has never taken the name of the arrested “spy.”

“I had announced that if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif mentions the name of Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav in his speech, I will donate Rs 50,000 to Pakistan Association of the Blind,” he said.

Mr. Ahsan asked Mr. Aziz if the Premier has spoken about Mr. Yadav. However, Mr. Aziz said that the Prime Minister would speak about Mr. Yadav at an appropriate time.

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