New Delhi: India demanded Pakistan hand over 20 of its most wanted men in a sign of faith, as diplomatic efforts to prevent the nuclear-armed rivals from heading toward a confrontation over the Mumbai attacks intensified on Tuesday.

The demand was contained in a protest note handed to Pakistan's ambassador in New Delhi on Monday, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters.

"We have in our demarche asked the arrest and hand over of those persons who are settled in Pakistan and who are fugitive of Indian law," he said, adding about 20 people were on the list.

The Times of India and television channels reported the men included Dawood Ibrahim, a Mumbai underworld don, and Maulana Masood Azhar, a Pakistani Muslim cleric freed from jail in India in exchange for passengers on a hijakced plane.

The foreign ministry said on Monday: "It was conveyed to the Pakistan high commissioner that Pakistan's actions needed to match the sentiments expressed by its leadership that it wishes to have a qualitatively new relationship with India".

The demand for the hand over of these fugitives was originally made in 2002, but Pakistan has not responded.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa was in New Delhi on a scheduled visit on Tuesday while U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due to arrive on Wednesday following last week's attacks in India's financial that killed 183 people capital.

India has blamed Islamist militants based in Pakistan.

Source : Reuters