Pak yet to receive officially Kasab's request for lawyer: FO

Islamabad, Apr 16 (PTI) Pakistan Thursday said it has not
received anything officially from India regarding the request
for a Pakistani lawyer by Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist
captured alive during the Mumbai attacks.

"We will see when it comes. We would not like to jump the
guns," Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit told reporters at
the weekly briefing here, replying to a question on Kasab's
request for a Pakistani lawyer to represent him in trial in
India.

Basit said nothing has been received officially or
formally from India in this regard.

Kasab had told a special court in Mumbai yesterday that
he wanted a Pakistani lawyer to represent him after the judge
revoked his order appointing Anjali Waghmare as his counsel.

Replying to another question on the general elections in
India and the party Pakistan would prefer to see in power in
the neighbouring country, Basit said "we are ready to work
with any government that comes to power once the elections are
over."

"We are looking forward to working with any government.
It is for the people of India to decide (whom they vote for),"
he said.

When asked about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh linking
resumption of talks to Pakistan taking action against
terrorism, Basit said terrorism is a global phenomenon and the
Mumbai attacks, which had "internal and external dimensions",
had confirmed this.

"Only through cooperation can the two countries
effectively fight terrorism and extremism, and not through
dis-engagement," he said

It was up to India to respond to Pakistan's "positive"
steps, Basit said. PTI RHL
SAK
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