India to hand over those involved in the Samjhota Express terrorist attack

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has demanded of India to hand over those involved in the Samjhota Express terrorist attack in which 68 Pakistanis were burnt alive.
Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Rehman Malik briefed the media on Pakistan’s handling of the Mumbai issue.
He said Pakistan had taken a very serious view of the tragedy. He added that a high-level investigation had been conducted to ascertain the facts.
He said law-enforcement agencies had already arrested five suspects involved in the Mumbai terror plot.
Rehman Malik said Jamaat-ud-Daawa chief Hafiz Saeed was being investigated and had been included in the Mumbai investigation.
He said Hafiz Saeed would be arrested after availability of solid evidence against him. “I assure my Indian counterpart that if there was evidence found against (him) during our investigation, he will not escape from the clutches of the law. We will take action,” he added.
Rehman Malik, who earlier held a meeting with the Indian high commissioner to Pakistan in the Interior Ministry, said intelligence information was being shared with the Indian authorities.
He said a fifth dossier had been handed over to India and that further information and statements had also been sought from the Indian authorities.
But while he apparently tried to give the impression of things working smoothly between the investigation agencies of the two countries, he betrayed his underlying frustration with the persistent Indian mantra of ‘Pakistan not doing enough’. “I am willing to have a debate over the Mumbai attacks with the Indian authorities anytime, anywhere.”
He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism and said there was no room for terrorism in the country and it would be rooted out completely.
Giving details of the Mumbai investigations, the minister said five suspects of the Mumbai attacks — Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Mazhar Iqbal, Umer Abdul Wajid, Zarrar Shah and Shahid Jamil Riaz — had been arrested and statements of 10 witnesses had been recorded. He said the suspects would be charged in the next hearing of the case on September 26.
He said Fahim Ansar, who was arrested in July, had given a statement against Jamaat-ud-Daawa chief Hafiz Saeed.
The minister told reporters that the court would be provided information regarding the hideouts of the terrorists, while bank accounts used in the Mumbai attacks had also been unearthed.
He said it would prove immensely beneficial and critical for investigations if the Indian authorities provided statements of the Indian forensic experts, as requested by the Pakistani investigators.
“Pakistan wants lasting relations with India and the soil of Pakistan would not be allowed to be used against any country, including India,” he asserted.
He, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the information provided so far by the Indian authorities and said it was insufficient and Pakistan needed more cooperation in this regard.
“India must now give us credible information for the prosecution of suspected terrorists in the Pakistani courts. It should share all credible information that it possesses about the Mumbai attacks, so that such incidents could be pre-empted in future. We cannot move forward on the basis of insufficient information and assumptions,” he added.
Rehman Malik said the Federal Investigation Agency team, led by Tariq Khosa, had completed its investigations.
Replying to a question, he said Pakistan was a responsible country that sought cooperation on equal status and could not be dictated by India.
Malik said terrorism was a common threat and required concerted efforts by the international community to effectively counter it.
The minister said the Indian government conveyed preliminary information on the Mumbai attacks on January 5, 2009, through diplomatic channels.
“After examining the matter, Pakistan decided that a high-level inquiry team of the FIA should carry out the preliminary probe in order to take further legal action against the perpetrators. Accordingly, the inquiry was initiated on January 16, 2009.”
The FIA team submitted its report on February 3, 2009, indicating that some persons belonging to Pakistan and having links to the defunct Lashkar-e-Taiba were involved in the Mumbai attacks.
A case (FIR No 01/2009) had been registered by the FIA Special Investigation Unit (SIU) on February 12, 2009, against nine accused, including Ajmal Kasab, who is under arrest in Mumbai.
The remaining eight accused nominated in the FIR are Amjad Khan, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Hammad Amin Sadiq, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Abu Hamza, Kahfa, Zarrar Shah, and Alqama.
Upon registration of the FIR, the Indian government was conveyed a set of 30+2 questions on February 12, 2009, for response to carry forward the investigation process. The Indian government formally responded to the questions from the Pakistani investigation agency on March 13, 2009.
Pakistan sought further material evidence on April 13, 2009, from the Indian investigators for the prosecution of the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.
The FIA submitted the first interim challan/charge-sheet in an Anti-Terrorism Court on April 30, 2009, against five accused, namely Hammad Amin Sadiq, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, Mazhar Iqbal alias Alqama, Abdul Wajid alias Zarrar Shah and Shahid Jamil Riaz.
“The Anti-Terrorism Court has declared 20 accused proclaimed offenders,” Rehman Malik said. He said non-bailable warrants had been issued against accused Ajmal Kasab and Fahim Ansari.
Agencies add: Meanwhile, Rehman Malik said in a statement that anti-state elements were instigating sectarian violence, adding that the government would deal with such elements with an iron hand.
He said a special cell had been set up in the Interior Ministry to stop sectarian violence and the provinces had been directed to take appropriate steps in this regard.