| GEO Pakistan | | Pakistan won't hand suspects to India: Foreign minister | Updated at: 1506 PST, Tuesday, December 09, 2008
 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said Tuesday it would not hand over any suspects in the Mumbai bombings to India and warned that while it wanted peace with its neighbour, it was ready for war if New Delhi decided to attack.
The remarks come amid mounting tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours after India said it is keeping all options open following last month's carnage in Mumbai, where 172 people were killed and more than 300 wounded.
"We do not want to impose war, but we are fully prepared in case war is imposed on us," Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said.
"We are not oblivious to our responsibilities to defend our homeland. But it is our desire that there should be no war."
Qureshi said he was sending "a very clear message" that his country did not want conflict with India.
"We want friendship, we want peace and we want stability -- but our desire for peace should not be considered Pakistan's weakness."
The minister also said that India's demands for the extradition of suspects in the Mumbai attacks were out of the question and that Pakistan, which has arrested 16 people since Saturday, would keep them on home soil.
"The arrests are being made for our own investigations. Even if allegations are proved against any suspect, he will not be handed over to India," Qureshi said. "We will proceed against those arrested under Pakistani laws." |  |
|
