Islamabad: Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri today (Feb 24, 2004) said that foreign militants caught during military operations would be handed over to any third country based on evidence of their involvement of violent activities there only if their own country refused to accept them.

Clarifying his remarks made in a press conference in Islamabad yesterday (Feb 23, 2004), where he was reported to have indicated that if captured, Osama bin Laden would be handed over to United States, he said foreign militants would be handed over to third countries based on evidence only if their own country refused to accept them.

As per the official clarification issued today (Feb 24, 2004), Kasuri when asked if Pakistan would hand over Osama bin Laden to the US if he was caught, said, "If someone has committed crimes against any other country and is caught in an anti-terror operation, our priority is to hand him over to his country of origin. If that country does not ask for repatriation, then the terrorist is handed over to any country putting forward evidence to us."

Pakistan has already handed over 500 captured foreign militants to US for interrogation and recently declared amnesty for any foreign militant who wants to surrender.

The constant complaint of Pakistan authorities was that the most of the countries were not willing to accept the captured militants fearing reprisals in their own countries.