KARACHI, Nov 19: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has hinted that some of the high-profile militants, arrested during the Wana operation in Wazeeristan area might have been handed over to the United States.

He was talking to newsmen at an Iftar dinner hosted by him for editors, columnists and senior newsmen at a hotel here on Wednesday.

Responding to a question about extradition of certain militants, the minister explained: “If any country refuses to take back its own citizen, we hand him over to a country which agrees to keep him.”

Sheikh Rashid neither identified any country not disclosed name of any such militant believed to have been extradited.

Regarding crackdown on some of the umbrella groups with which the recently banned religious parties were associated, the minister said the government had acted after receiving information about their involvement in undesirable activities.

When asked about prospects of the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s visit to Islamabad to attend the SAARC summit in Islamabad early next year, Sheikh Rashid hoped that Mr Vajpayee would grace the occasion.

Clarifying his reported remarks about a pullout from Azad Kashmir, the minister said he had emphasized that if India gave a date for plebiscite in Kashmir, then Pakistan was ready to act upon all UN resolutions, including the one calling for the withdrawal of forces from the territory.

He stuck to his contention that during his Delhi visit, he had given a short, sweet and smart message from President Musharraf and Prime Minister Jamali to Mr Vajpayee.

The information minister also spoke on national issues saying that the government would come out with package within a couple of days for curbing the menace of unemployment. However, he dispelled the impression that the trend of suicide in jobless people was on the rise. In this regard he compared the situation with that in Japan and rest of the world.

Shaikh Rashid also rejected apprehension about any threat to assemblies or the government and pointed out that the government had tackled sensitive issues, like Afghanistan, Iraq, Al-Qaeda and other local problems, successfully.

Commenting on the one-month deadline given by the MMA for introducing the LFO bill in the parliament, the minister said: “One month is a long time and I hope that the situation will improve much before the date.”

He revealed that the federal cabinet would be expanded after Eid.

Replying to a question regarding implementation of the Wage Award for newspaper industry, the minister, in an evasive manner, said the government wanted to play the role of referee between the two parties.