'Embarrassing' goof-up on 'most wanted fugitives list' wake up call for security agencies: P Chidambaram

NEW DELHI: Home Minister P Chidambaram today said the "embarrassing" goof-up in the ' most wanted fugitives list' given to Pakistan is a wake up call to security agencies to become more professional but ruled out giving any apology for the lapse.

He also said that the goof-up does not damage government's credibility and it will "not change the dynamics" of Indo-Pak relationship or the status of discussions between them.

Chidambaram also dismissed suggestions that after this blunder, Pakistan will grow dismissive about India's repeated requests to handover terror suspects sheltered in that country.

"I don't think it damages credibility. I think it is a wake up call for the agencies to become more professional," he told Karan Thapar on 'Devil's Advocate' programme on CNN-IBN.

He was asked whether he would accept that the goof-up damaged the governments credibility even in a small part if not in a big way.

Chidambaram was asked whether the government owed an apology to the two persons named in the fugitives list as hiding in Pakistan but were actually living in India.

"I don't think this is a case we owe an apology to anyone. We expressed regret that there was a genuine human error in not updating the list. To that extent, we have expressed regret and we remain regretful. But I think we have carried the argument too far," he said.

He said the two (named in the list living in India) were fugitives of justice. Red Corner Notices were indeed issued to them. Subsequently they were arrested.