BJP asks govt to make diplomatic efforts for Dawood's extradition

New Delhi, Aug 7 (UNI) In the wake of reports that Mumbai serial blasts main accused Dawood Ibrahim was now in Pakistan Intelligence agency ISI's custody, the Bharatiya Janata Party today asked the Government to make renewed diplomatic efforts and use ''all available leverages'' to secure the extradition of the underworld don and his close associate Tiger Memon from the neighbouring country.

Their extradition was now more meaningful, particularly after more than ten accused in the Mumbai blasts had been given death sentences by the TADA court, BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

All diplomatic efforts and other channels be explored to ensure their extradition to face the consequences of all their crimes, including terrorism and waging a war against the nation, he said.

The BJP accused the two of ''deliberately and persistently' refusing to submit to the process of law in spite of a red corner Interpol notice. It was also of the firm opinion that these two accused had been given ''safe sanctuary'' in Pakistan despite the fact that the neighbouring country had denied it all the time.

''We take note of the reported arrest of Dawood in Pakistan though we seriously apprehend that Pakistan, as usual, would deny his presence there,'' Mr Prasad said.

He said it was the NDA which had made a serious effort for the first time for his extradition well before the Agra summit in 2001 when the then Home Minister L K Advani raised this issue with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

Again, in the NDA regime, on January 6, 2004, Pakistan had, for the first time, acknowleged and agreed that it would not permit its territory to be used for the spread of terror-related activities.

But, the UPA Government for all practical purposes forgot this January 6, 2004 agreement, he charged, observing that ''terror and terrorism is a politically dirty word for them''.

Referring to the US observation last week that Dawood's smuggling route converge with that used by Al Qaeda to move arms, the party appealed to the US to ''demonstrate its bona fides and earnest'' commitment to the global war on terror and pressure Pakistan to hand over Dawood to India.

The party also cautioned that India must take seriously the latest video threat by Al Qaeda and advised the government to ask its ministers not to speak on the issue in a ''comical'' manner, referring to Minister of State for Home Shri Prakash Jaiswal's remark that he was not aware of any such threat, while other minister Suresh Pachouri confirmed the threat.

It said the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba had now new nomenclature 'Jamat-Ud-Dawa' and the government must use its diplomatic channels to get it banned.

UNI