India is watching closely the developments in Pakistan surrounding the deportation of the alleged Bali bomber, Umar Patek, who will reportedly be handed over to Indonesia this week.
Chinese news agency Xinhua, quoting Pakistani newspapers, said the handover might happen as early as Wednesday itself.
Patek, who is believed to have built the bombs for the 2002 Bali nightclub attacks that killed 202, was captured on January 25 at Abbottabad in Pakistan — the city where Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in May.
Patek’s arrest was an important event for India. His deportation will be even more so, because it suggests that the Pakistani system can deliver terror suspects when it wants to.
Not only was an Indonesian team allowed to come down to Pakistan to interrogate Patek and establish his identity, but also Indonesian authorities tapped a rich vein of ‘jihadi’ networks after talking to him and were able to foil further attacks as a result.
By contrast, India’s repeated demands for action on the plotters of the 2008 Mumbai attacks have found willing listners in Pakistan but no action by the authorities.
In the circumstances, information coming out of talks between External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar last month suggests Krishna had delivered an ultimatum of sorts to Khar in the meeting. Apart from pointing out to her that her meeting with All Party Hurriyat Conference was inappropriate, Krishna is also believed to have told her that Pakistan must put Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, a prime accused in the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, behind bars. Krishna said in the prevailing political climate in India, it would not be possible for him to visit Pakistan if the neighbouring country did not take any action against Saeed.
While this could be grandstanding on India’s part, the fact is if Patek is handed over to Indonesia, India could easily ask why Pakistan was so reluctant to act against Saeed.
Ahead of the Krishna-Khar meeting, Pakistan Interior Minister Rahman Malik had said action could be taken on Saeed if India provided “actionable” and “substantive” evidence on the Lashkar-e-Taiba founder.
India, on its part, says the Pakistani and Indian Evidence Act is the same in substance. Therefore, to say that more evidence is needed to punish those involved in the conspiracy to bomb Mumbai is not valid.
Patek has been on the run for nearly a decade. He is considered one of the most wanted terrorists in the southeast Asia. He is also wanted in the Philippines and Pakistani officials are quoted in newspapers in Manila as saying they would be happy to hand him over to the Philippines as well.
