New Delhi: Pakistan has shot down the Indian proposal for an extradition treaty between New Delhi and Islamabad saying time has not arrived for such a step.

The Indian side had mooted the proposal during the Home Secretary-level talks in Islamabad earlier this month, sources said.

They said New Delhi, which was represented by Union Home Secretary Dhirendra Singh, sought assistance for preparing grounds for having an Indo-Pak extradition treaty whereby criminals of each other's nationality could be handed over to face trial.

The issue figured during Singh's talks with his Pakistani counterpart Tariq Mahmood in Islamabad on August 11-12.

The Indian side had emphasised on joint efforts to check the growth of criminals operating without any boundaries. The Pakistani side showed no inclination for making any ground work for the treaty saying time had not come for such a step.

The talks were part of composite dialogue process between India and Pakistan, which would be reviewed by the two foreign Ministers, Natwar Singh and Khursheed Muhammed Kasuri in New Delhi early next month.