Gilani's statement proves Dawood in Pak: Advani

Hyderabad, May 17 (UNI) Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani today described Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's recent statement his that country would consider deporting Dawood Ibrahim if New Delhi provided ''authentic proof'' as an official admission by Islamabad that the terrorist was in the neighbouring country.

''There is formidable basis for Pakistan to fulfill its promise of handing over Dawood Ibrahim to India,'' Mr Advani told reporters here while expressing happiness over Mr Gilani's statement.

The Interpol has declared Dawood Ibrahim as an absconder. The United States has declared him an international terrorist.

''The Indian courts, hearing the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai, had declared him an absconder from law. This is a formidable basis for Pakistan government to carry out its promise and hand him over to India for trial,'' he reasoned.

Accusing the UPA government of failing to check terrorism, he said perpetrators of terror strikes had not been brought to book since 2004.

''The UPA government's weak approach to fighting terrorism is guided solely by vote-bank considerations. For its short-term electoral gains, the Congress is making the country pay a very heavy price in the form of blood of innocent citizens,'' he alleged.

The terror strikes in the last four years at different places in the country showed the terrorist footprint has considerably expanded. But not a single case of such attack has been properly investigated and culprits chargesheeted during the UPA rule, he contended.

''This is not unrelated to the total apathy the UPA government has displayed on the issue of large-scale infiltration of Bangladeshis.

''It is no wonder that one organisation whose hand has been seen in most of the terrorist attacks during the past four years is the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami (HuJi),'' he added.

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