By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said Islamabad will not hand over suspected terrorists like Dawood Ibrahim, Masood Azhar and Hafiz Muhammad to India, but try and sentence them in its own courts if it had proof against them.
“I am definitely going to look into all the possibility of any proof that is given to us,” Zardari said on CNN’s “Larry King Live” Tuesday when asked if he was going to comply with India’s demand to hand over some 20 suspected terrorists believed to be living in Pakistan.
King named Dawood Ibrahim, a powerful gangster; Masood Azhar, a terror suspect from Indian prison released in exchange for the release of hostages; and Hafiz Muhammad, the former chief of a terrorist group, as among those wanted by India.
“At the moment these are just names of individuals. No proof, no investigation, nothing has been brought forward,” Zardari said.
“We have offered to take this step forward and cooperate with the Indians. I am willing to have my security advisor and their security in charge have a joint committee, which we have proposed to the Indians for a joint investigation in the Bombay (Mumbai) incident,” added.
Asked would Pakistan turn terrorists over to India if it had the proof, Zardari said: “If we had the proof, we would try them in our courts, we would try them in our land and we would sentence them.”