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India hands over terrorists' list to Pak

India has given Pakistan a list of terrorists involved in crimes in India, and demanded they be handed over for trial.

"A list of terrorists involved in crimes in India has been given to Pakistan. If these terrorists are handed over, then certainly I think a situation more conducive to both the countries (for talks) can arise," Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley told CNN's Late Edition programme.

Jaitley made the remarks when asked how close India and Pakistan were to war.

"We do hope that such a situation does not arise where we have to go to war. But the entire onus of that will depend on the kind of stand Pakistan takes," he said.

"If Pakistan takes substantial action against these terrorist organisations and if Pakistan goes about arresting these terrorists.... then certainly I think a situation more conducive to both the countries can arise."

Asked if Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would talk to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf at the Kathmandu SAARC summit next month, Jaitley said, "It does not appear to be a situation which Pakistan is creating conducive to a dialogue.

"Pakistan can't be encouraging this kind of cross-border insurgency and the attack on India's Parliament," Jaitley told the television channel. "All the five terrorists killed in the attack were Pakistanis. There has been voluminous evidence of involvement of organisations within that country (Pakikstan) in this attack. After this, they can't then say, let us have a dialogue," the law minister said.

Referring to Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar's demand for evidence in order to take action against the terrorists, Jaitley said Maulana Masood Azhar heads an organisation which is responsible for the attack on Parliament. He was released from Indian prison through "the coercive process of hijacking a plane.

"Does the Pakistan Foreign Minister still need evidence?" the minister asked.

Jaitley said actions by Pakistan against terrorists could not be "ornamental in terms of making public announcements and after a few days freezing their (terrorist groups) accounts after having allowed the money to flow out."

Jaitley said Azhar was said to be arrested and after several days, he was now reported to be in preventive custody.

Jaitely said that while Sattar had agreed to hand over Osama bin Laden, if apprehended in Pakistan, to the US, he cannot have a different standard when it came to terrorists on Pakistan's eastern border.

Asked what India expected US President Bush to do to reduce Indo-Pak tension, he said the international community should have the same yardstick and same standard which was adopted for the Taleban and bin Laden in relation to the September 11 attack on the US.

"Whichever part of the world terrorists commit offences should be treated at par and we expect the same standard to be applied."

Jaitely said greater pressure should be brought on Pakistan to act against the terrorists and their organisations operating from that country.

PTI

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