New Delhi: India today said it was awaiting Pakistan's response to a demarche issued in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes, asking Islamabad to handover Indian fugitives who have taken shelter in the neighbouring country.
"We will await the response from Pakistan" to the demarche (protest note), External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters here.
Mukherjee has stated that "some elements" based in Pakistan were suspected to be behind the Mumbai attacks.
Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik was summoned by top officials in the Ministry of External Affairs and handed down the demarche seeking strong action against those responsible for the Mumbai carnage.
"Now, we have in our demarche asked for the arrests and handing over of those persons who are settled in Pakistan and who are fugitives under the Indian law," Mukherjee said on the sidelines of a function to inaugurate the India-Arab Forum.
India had already handed over to Pakistan a list of 20 terrorists, including Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Mohammad and Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar besides underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who are based in that country and are suspected to be behind terror attacks in India.
"...there are lists (containing the names) of about 20 persons. (These) lists are sometimes altered and this exercise is going on and we have reviewed it in our demarche," Mukherjee said.
"What will be done, time will show and you will come to know," he said in response to a query on US President-elect Barack Obama's remarks that his country will help India in "protecting" itself from such terror attacks.
"We appreciate the responses (from major global powers) which we have received from all over the world, including Obama," Mukherjee said.
