Assist each other in pursuit of justice: India tells US

As it seeks the extradition of Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley from the United States, India has stressed on the need for the two sides to commit to the goal of assisting each other in the pursuit of justice.

Without directly mentioning 26/11 convict Headley, Union Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said, "We are aware of the specificities of legal procedure and their requirements but we need to commit to the goal of assisting our authorities in the pursuit of justice."

"The relationship between us must now stand squarely on its own merits. It has taken decades for us to stop viewing each other from the prism of each other's relationships with third countries," Mathai said while making a speech at the Carnegie Endowment, a Washington-based eminent American think tank.

52-year-old Headley was sentenced to 35 years in prison by a Chicago court last month for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed 166 lives.

India has expressed disappointment over the 35-year jail term awarded to the LeT terrorist by the Chicago court, arguing that given the nature of his crime longer sentence or death penalty was required.

India has said it will continue to press for extradition of Headley from the US.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid last month had said, India was "slightly disappointed" over the quantum of sentence.

Asserting that India's demand was Headley should be tried in India, Khurshid said he would have possibly got a "serious and severe" sentence in this country.