Islamabad hints at Hakimi’s extradition
By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan will consider handing over detained Taliban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi to Afghanistan if a formal request was made, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
Hakimi was detained with five other suspected Taliban members in a raid this week on a house on the outskirts of Quetta.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai told France’s LCI television during a visit to France on Wednesday his country would seek the extradition of Hakimi, who Karzai said was responsible for many atrocities in Afghanistan.
“We have seen the reports in the newspapers but we have not formally received a request from Afghanistan for the extradition of Hakimi,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam. “When we will receive the request, we will consider it,” she said.
Pakistan has demanded India of handing over Jinnah House for opening its Consulate General in Mumbai. Foreign Office spokesperson has clarified that Pakistan has not given up its claim on Jinnah House and Jinnah House should be handed over to Pakistan for its Consulate General in Mumbai.
“The people of Pakistan have sentimental attachment with the Jinnah House”, the spokesperson added.
Agencies add: Afghanistan hopes neighboring Pakistan will hunt down more Taliban militants, a government minister said on Thursday, while Pakistan said it would consider handing over the insurgents’ spokesman arrested this week. Pakistani security forces arrested the top Taliban spokesman, Abdul Latif Hakimi, on Tuesday in Baluchistan province near southern Afghanistan. Afghan Defense Minister Abdur Rahim Wardak praised Pakistan for what he described as its renewed security cooperation. “Pakistan has recently increased its efforts and the arrest of this person is also result of that fresh cooperation,” he told reporters. “We are hopeful that these arrests continue for terrorism is a common enemy of ours and the arrests will help boost security.” Wardak said he has no list of Taliban figures the Afghan government wanted Pakistan to arrest.
However, Afghanistan has complained in the past that Hakimi and other Taliban figures, including key commanders and supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, have been able to operate from Pakistan. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Pakistan would consider handing over Hakimi to Afghanistan if the Afghan government made a formal request.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai told France’s LCI television during a visit to France on Wednesday his country would seek the extradition of Hakimi, who Karzai said was responsible for many atrocities in Afghanistan.
“We have seen the reports in the newspapers but we have not formally received a request from Afghanistan for the extradition of Mr Hakimi,” said Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam. “When we will receive the request, we will consider it”.
Hakimi, the main spokesman for the Taliban in recent years, was frequently in touch with reporters, speaking by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location, although Afghan and U.S. officials long suspected he was in Pakistan. Pakistani intelligence officials say they have been questioning Hakimi about his links with senior Taliban leaders, the organization and structure of the Taliban, and to determine how we was operating in Pakistan.
Hakimi occasionally used to issue statements from Mullah Omar, who he used to say was in Afghanistan overseeing a jihad, or holy war, against foreign troops. Omar has been in hiding since U.S.-led forces ousted his government in late 2001 for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden, architect of the September 11 attacks. Hakimi had said in the past he had no idea of the whereabouts of bin Laden. The United States welcomed Hakimi’s arrest but there has been no word on that whether it would seek his custody.