India corners Pak; says hand over Dawood, JeM chief

MOST WANTED: India suspects that Jaish-e-Mohammad and its founder Masood Azhar are also involved in the attacks.

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New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs called the Pakistani High Commissioner Shahid Malik in New Delhi to make its first direct demand on handing over suspects responsible for the Mumbai attacks.

Sources tell CNN-IBN that apart from telling Malik that the attacks had been planned by Pakistani elements, they also told Pakistan to hand over Dawood Ibrahim and Masood Azhar, or face the consequences.

Mumbai has been attacked earlier too. In March 1993, 13 blasts that killed at least 250 people and injured more than 700. That attack too was the handiwork of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

South Block has no doubt about Dawood's role in the November 26 attacks or for that matter about the role of the don's patrons - the ISI.

India's most wanted, Dawood, with help from Pakistan, has eluded for more than 15 years.

India also suspects that along with the Lashkar-e-Toiba, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and its founder Masood Azhar are also involved in the attacks.

Azhar is wanted in India for a string of terror strikes including the attack on the Parliament in 200 that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.

And these are reason enough for India to serve a demarche on the Pakistan High Commissioner.

The demarche warned that bilateral relations could hit breaking point unless Islamabad handed over Dawood and Azhar.

"We expect Pakistan to crack down on terror groups and individuals. If Pakistan doesn't deliver our response will be correct and considered," Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma said.

There is pressure on Islamabad from the USA too. Ahead of her arrival in Delhi on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Condolezza Rice warned Pakistan to cooperate with India and be transparent in its investigations.

"The Pakistani government must follow the evidence wherever it leads and do that in the most committed and firmest possible way. There should be the highest level of cooperation between the law enforcement and intelligence agencies of both countries," Rice said.

A response from Islamabad is expected at the earliest. Pakistan Yousuf Raza Gilani has called an all party meeting on Tuesday to discuss India's demarche.