Pak's UN envoy says his country is handing over foreign terrorists to US
4 Dec 2008, 1117 Hrs

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Washington, Dec.4 Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Abdullah Hussain Haroon has told the US television network CBS that Pakistan has been handing over any foreigners it has caught in Pakistan, who have been suspected of or carried out terrorist activity.

Both countries have identified these suspects as being "under rendition".

'Rendition' or 'extraordinary rendition' is the CIA activity of 'transferring' or flying captured terrorist suspects from one country to another for detention and interrogation without the benefit of formal legal proceedings.

When asked if Pakistan would take action against those behind the Mumbai attacks, he said that India must first prove that the attackers were Pakistani citizens.

"I don't think they could be Pakistanis. There are foreigners in certain parts of Pakistan whom we have been fighting and handing over under rendition. You have been picking up people from that part of the world and I personally believe that the important thing to understand is that we are trying to co-operate," the Daily Times quoted him, as saying.

When asked if in his view the Mumbai attackers had come from Afghanistan into Pakistan and then gone to India, Haroon answered, "I would not know where they have come from. And if any of them are Pakistanis, they could be misguided youth in Pakistan."

Whatever has happened in Mumbai, we (Pakistan) are willing to co-operate and that's the important thing," he said. (ANI)