India asks Pak to sign Extradition Treaty

The Indian side sought inking of the Extradition Treaty and MLAT at the just-concluded Foreign Secretary-level talks.

With several terrorists continuing to take shelter in Pakistan, India has pressed its neighbour to sign the Extradition Treaty and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to ensure that such elements are brought to book.

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The Indian side sought inking of the Extradition Treaty and MLAT at the just-concluded Foreign Secretary-level talks in New Delhi in the context of fighting terror as Pakistan claims that it is opposed to it and is ready to cooperate with India, official sources informed a news agency on Friday.

The Pakistani side, however, remained silent on the subject, the sources said, after the two-day talks between Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammad Khan.

India has given a list of 20 terrorists, including that of Dawood Ibrahim, to Pakistan about two years ago, seeking their deportation. But Pakistan has been claiming that they were not in the country.

At the meeting of the foreign secretaries, the Indian side observed that Pakistan's response with regard to fight against terrorism has been "negative" even as several positive developments have taken place between the two countries on other fronts, the sources said.