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The Foreign Office on Friday rejected India’s demand for the extradition of Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed after New Delhi announced it had formally requested Islamabad to hand him over in a money-laundering case.
In a statement responding to media inquiries about India’s extradition request, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch noted Islamabad and Delhi had “no bilateral extradition treaty,” as she confirmed the Indian demand.
Her statement followed Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for India’s External Affairs Ministry, confirming the extradition request at a media briefing in New Delhi, adding it was delivered last week via the Indian high commission in Islamabad. However, he acknowledged the request was made despite the lack of an extradition treaty with Pakistan.
Saeed is currently serving several concurrent jail sentences after being convicted of terror financing in multiple cases. India has long accused him of planning the 2008 Mumbai attacks, to the Dawaa chief’s denials. In 2012, the U.S. announced a $10 million bounty for him after declaring both the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Dawaa as banned entities under U.N. sanctions.
Earlier this week, during a regular press briefing, Baloch had refused to entertain queries on the Indian request, claiming they were based on “speculative” media reporting.