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IC 814 hijackers' extradition to figure in Indo-Pak talks

Onkar Singh in Delhi

The Minister of State for Home Affairs I D Swami said on Wednesday that all outstanding issues are likely to figure in the summit level talks between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf when they meet in Agra on July 15.

"Whenever talks of this level are held then almost all the outstanding issues between the two countries would naturally figure during the talks. The issue of extradition of the hijackers of the Indian Airline plane, which was hijacked to Kandahar would also come up. I also foresee the possibility of the issue of prisoners of wars also coming up for discussions between the two countries," Swami told rediff.com.

Asked if there would be any formal agenda for the talks between the two leaders, Swami said that two leaders might meet individually first and later they might be joined by the officials of the two countries.

"In such conditions it is difficult to say if there would be any agenda for the summit level meeting. I am sure the ministry of external affairs is seized of the matter and is doing the needful," he said.

Senior leader and official spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party Narinder Modi refused to speculate on the possible agenda for the summit.

"The Indian newsmen have been writing stories on various issues which might figure during the talks. This helps Pakistan in preparing in advance on these matters. But we are not getting the same kind of indication from the Pakistani press," he said.

Meanwhile, a top official of the Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday denied a story appearing in a daily newspaper which said that the agency was hopeful of extradition of the hijackers of the Indian Airlines plane.

"Anyone can quote anyone. This is a free country and you can write anything. We in the CBI are always hopeful that something positive might happen in any of the cases that we investigate. We would like to have the hijackers extradited to India to stand trail. But we also know it would not happen," said an officer who is directly involved with the investigation of the case.

He said that the agency had given a request to the ministry of external affairs regarding the presence of the seven hijackers in Pakistan.

"We have told the ministry that Ibrahim Athar, Zahoor Ibrahim, Yusuf Azhar, Abdul Rauf, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Shahid Akhtar Sayed and Shakir are present in Pakistan. We have given their addresses also. Now it is for the government to take appropriate action," he said.

Indo-Pak Summit 2001: The Complete Coverage

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