Nellore (AP): The Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, on October 27 said the United States should force "its ally" Pakistan, to handover the notorious terrorist kingpin Dawood Ibrahim, allegedly involved in serial bomb blasts in Mumbai, to India.

Addressing a public meeting in Nellore on October 27 evening, Advani said Ibrahim was the "clue-man" for investigation into the Mumbai serial blasts.

He regretted that despite repeated requests Pakistan was not repatriating Ibrahim.

On the latest confidence building measures announced by the External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, he said these initiatives were to improve people-to-people contact between the people of India and Pakistan. But if the government level talks had to be resumed, Pakistan should not only stop cross border terrorism, but also abandon its ISI centres operating in India.

So far the Indian Army had smashed 200 ISI centres in the country. Despite this, Pakistan was continuing its "terrorist activities in many parts of the country and killing innocent people", he said.

If Pakistan was seriously interested in negotiations and stopped cross border terrorism, India would then respond positively, he said.

For political reasons, the military rulers of Pakistan were not responding to the peace initiatives taken by India, he alleged.

PTI