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Manmohan genuinely wants good relations with Pak: Pranab

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is "disturbed" after the Mumbai terror attacks as he "genuinely" wanted to develop good relations with Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.

Updated on: Jan 28, 2009, 20:05:17 IST
PTI | By , New Delhi
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is "disturbed" after the Mumbai terror attacks as he "genuinely" wanted to develop good relations with Pakistan, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said.

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"Prime Minister is more disturbed than me because he genuinely wanted to build good relations with Pakistan," Mukherjee said.

He said the Prime Minister had invested much more political capital in developing relations with the country's western neighbours.

Giving his wish-list of expectations from Pakistan, Mukherjee said "first is that terror infrastructure facilities, training camps are to be dismantled and no infrastructural facilities should be made available within the territory of Pakistan or within the territory under its control."

Mukherjee demanded a "demonstrable punishment" to the terrorists behind the Mumbai terror attacks from Pakistan.

"You must give demonstrable punishment to the perpetuates of the terror attacks," he said.

On the issue of extradition of terrorists by Pakistan to India, Mukherjee said though there was no treaty between India and Pakistan, Pakistan has signed an extradition Act in 1972 and it should not have problems in handing over terrorists to India.

"Nothing prevents them from handing over the perpetrators to us who have committed a crime in India and have taken shelter there including Masud Azhar who was in Indian custody," he said.

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