Afghanistan refuses to hand over militant to Pakistan

KABUL, Afghanistan

Afghanistan on Friday rejected Pakistan's demand to hand over the suspected leader of a Daesh-linked group nabbed by Afghan security forces earlier this week.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement the Daesh leader, Abdullah Orakzai, also known as Aslam Farooqi, a Pakistani-origin suspected militant, is wanted for a number of gruesome terrorist attacks and would be tried in line with laws in Afghanistan.

"Afghanistan does not discriminate between terrorists, it takes equal legal actions against all and is committed to all anti-terrorism commitments," it said.

It further noted that since there is no agreement between Pakistan and Afghanistan on the extradition of suspects and convicts, Farooqi will be dealt in line with laws in Afghanistan.

"The two countries can make joint efforts for exchange of information under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), which will help in the fight against terrorism," the ministry added.

The Afghan intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) announced the arrest of Farooqi on April 6.

His arrest came days after the group claimed responsibility for a deadly terrorist attack on a Sikh worship place in Kabul, which killed 25 people.

On Thursday, Islamabad summoned the Afghan ambassador to the Foreign Ministry and said that since Farooqi was involved in anti-Pakistan activities in Afghanistan, he should be handed over to Pakistan for further investigations.

Relations between the two neighbors have long been strained as both sides accuse each other of harboring militant groups.