'Laden will be handed over to US if caught'

Stating this here yesterday, he said that the amnesty offered by President Musharraf, where foreigners surrendering in Pakistan would not be handed over to any power, would not apply to Osama bin Laden.

"If somebody had committed a crime against the US that is separate issue," The News quoted him as saying.

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However, Kasuri said that Islamabad had neither received any request from the US to provide it bases nor it would provide such facilities to the US Army to launch anti-Osama operation in Pakistani territory.

He said Pakistan had not changed its policy towards terrorists and their deportation to other countries. "If someone has committed crimes against any other country and is caught in an anti-terror operation, our priority is to hand him over to his country of origin. If that country does not ask for repatriation, then the terrorists are handed over to any country putting forward evidence (of their crimes) to us," the minister said.

AFP adds: Hundreds of Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gunships yesterday launched an operation against suspected al-Qaeda fighters in the northwestern tribal region bordering Afghan-istan, the government said.