India said on Sunday that the joint anti-terrorism mechanism with Pakistan meant that New Delhi would now be able to take up terror-related extradition issues with Islamabad. Talking to reporters, Indian Foreign Secretary-designate P Shivshankar Menon said the mechanism meant that New Delhi would soon raise its long-standing demand for the extradition of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin, both of whom it believed were residing in Pakistan.
He also rejected claims that there had been a "shift" in New Delhi's stance regarding cross-border terrorism after recent comments by Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh that acknowledged Pakistan was a victim of terrorism, stressing that there could not be a guarantee that all kinds of terrorist acts would come to an end with the establishment of the joint anti-terror mechanism. Menon went on to deny that New Delhi had accused Pakistan of playing a role in the July 11 Mumbai train blasts, saying that investigations were still underway.