Britain says will not extradite Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: The British government has clearly indicated that it would not hand over former President Pervez Musharraf to the Pakistani authorities, sources reported on Monday.

Sources further stated that this information had already conveyed to the Pakistani authorities earlier.As per Britainís policy, it does not extradite individuals to countries where death penalty is enforced; rather, the British government processes such requests as per their judicial system before giving out any decision.

It may be worth mentioning that Britain has stated that a number of individuals belonging to different countries including Musharraf have been living within the United Kingdom (all wanted by their respective governments), and would be handed over to their respective countries until they defy the law of UK.

Britain has hugely dampened such extradition calls in the past.An Interpol ìRed Noticeî is considered an international arrest warrant, as Interpol does not have the authority to issue arrest warrants in the formal sense of the word as this authority usually lies within the hands of the sovereign member states.

Last week, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, had stated that a formal letter through the FIA had been written to the Interpol with respect to the ìRed Noticeî clarifying that the former President was required within Pakistan in the Benazir Bhutto murder probe.