India will ask for custody of Hafiz Saeed: Shinde

Rehman Malik’s tour rescheduled; won’t be able to celebrate birthday at Taj Mahal.

NEW DELHI:

Pakistani and Indian governments agreed to reschedule Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s India tour as it coincided with the anniversary of the Indian parliament attack.

At a news conference in New Delhi on Monday, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde also said that India would press for handing over of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder and alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks Hafeez Saeed during Malik’s visit beginning December 14.

In 2001, five gunmen had infiltrated the parliament building in the Indian capital and carried out a suicide attack which narrowly missed the then vice-president, Krishan Kant, and killed 12. Later, the attack was blamed on “Pakistan-based terrorists”.

To prevent Malik’s visit from coinciding with the anniversary of this incident, he will now be visiting Agra for his birthday celebrations with his wife on December 14, said Shinde.

Malik’s three-day trip will mark the inauguration of the new visa agreement between the two countries. The new visa regime will replace a 38-year-old restrictive accord and will pave the way for time-bound visa approval and greater people-to-people contacts and trade.

“Malik has written to me to confirm that he is coming to Delhi on December 14 and will be here till December 16,” said Shinde. Malik has also tweeted to confirm the new date of his visit to Agra.

According to Shinde, New Delhi has already made the necessary arrangements for a “romantic celebration” of Malik’s birthday.



The visa agreement, signed by then External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and Malik in Islamabad on September 8 this year, eases curbs on issuing visas to traders, elderly people, tourists, pilgrims, members of civil society and children.

According to the Economic Times, Shinde said that he has told Malik, when they met in the Maldives on the sidelines of a Saarc inter-ministerial conference in September this year, that Hafiz Saeed was moving freely in Pakistan and he should be handed over to India.

“I have been telling him and still I will insist …We have told them openly as well as through official communication. I am quite sure that when he will come here, I will discuss with him this issue,” he added.

Shinde said he will also seek voice samples of the handlers of the terrorists who carried out the Mumbai attacks.

“I had talked to him (Malik) on a number of occasions on the voice samples (of handlers of Mumbai terrorists). We have requested them many times. Not only in the Maldives, but also at the Interpol conference (in Rome).

“Here also, I will mention it. There is nothing wrong. I will mention that. He will come on December 14 and stay here till 16th,” Shinde said.

He, however, declined to comment on the legal proceedings related to the Mumbai attack case going on in that country saying the matter was sub judice.  “I can’t say I am satisfied. It is legal matter. I can’t comment on legal matters,” he said. India has voiced concern over the slow pace of trial in Pakistan.

An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi is conducting the trial of seven Pakistanis charged with involvement in the Mumbai attacks.

(With additional input from News Desk)

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2012.