MULTAN, Aug 21 Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says the evidence against Hafiz Saeed provided by the Indian government so far is not sufficient.

“If India has any solid evidence against him, it should send it to us through diplomatic sources,” he told newsmen at the local airport.

The minister said if India provided solid evidence against Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, Pakistan would surely examine it. “Now the judiciary in Pakistan is independent and one cannot move against any body in the court without solid evidence.”

Qureshi said if India apprehended more Mumbai-like attacks it should share information with Pakistan but through diplomatic sources and not media.

Answering a question about reports of extension of US embassy in Islamabad, the minister said that the US was interested in establishing long term relations with Islamabad and wanted to gather its (embassy) employees, currently living in rented houses, at one place due to security concerns.

He said American marines were neither coming to stay in embassy nor they were being deployed there and all media reports in this regard were not true.

He said Pakistan was not the only country where the US was expanding its embassy. US embassies in India, China, Indonesia and other countries were also being extended, he added.

He said a meeting of Friends of Pakistan would be held in New York on Sep 24 in which US President Barack Obama, UK Prime minister Brown and President Asif Ali Zardari would also participate.

He said there was a history of relations between Pakistan and China and President Zardari wanted to increase ties in economic and trade sectors between the two countries.—Staff Correspondent

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