Pak must hand over suspects: Pranab

NEW DELHI: India on Friday asserted that perpetrators of terrorism in this country must be handed over to face "Indian justice" and clarified that there is "no dilution" of that stand.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee also asked Pakistan to undertake a "full investigation" into Mumbai attacks in a "sincere", "transparent" and "verifiable" manner to unveil the "full conspiracy" into the terror strikes.

"There is no question of dilution of our demand of extradition (of those responsible for terror acts in India)," Mukherjee told reporters while clarifying on the media reports quoting him in a TV interview.

"We have never given up the demand that perpetrators of the terror acts should be handed over to India. There is no question of that we have given up that demand or we have climbed down," he said.

"The fact that dastardly terror crimes have been committed in India, therefore the perpetrators must face Indian justice. This is not an either or situation as these things are not mutually exclusive," he said.

Mukherjee issued the "clarification" on a TV interview in which he had said that India will have no objection if those behind terror acts here are put to "fair trial" in Pakistan itself, a remark which amounted to softening of New Delhi's position on the issue of extradition