India Demands Pakistan Hand Over 40 Suspects

Pakistan Promises Cooperation, But Wants Evidence

After an Indian MP demanded action, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee declared that attacking Pakistan to “avenge the Mumbai terror attacks” was not a solution to the problem of cross-border terror. Minister Mukherjee said that his government has given Pakistan a list of 40 people it wants handed over.

This is the third time since last month’s Mumbai attacks that the Indian government has demanded Pakistan hand over people in connection with the attack. Mukherjee says “we have given them lists of 40 persons: not one, not 20… and we have pointed out that their denial is not going to resolve the issue.”

It is unclear who is on the latest list, but Pakistan has already arrested 22 people in a weekend raid on a relief camp. The Pakistani government has already ruled out handing those people over to the Indian government, and Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik says that while they will “extend full cooperation” to India, they have “not provided any evidence so far” that the latest suspects have done anything wrong.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.