Indian PM pressed to raise Saeed, Sarabjit issue in talks

New Delhi: The Congress as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ask for strict action against Lashkar-e-Taiba founder and 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks plotter Hafiz Saeed when he meets Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.
The BJP raised the stakes ahead of Zardari's India visit on Sunday by demanding that India should take up the twin issues of Hafiz Saeed and Sarabjit Singh with the Pakistani leader.
President Zardari. "He is on a personal visit. We welcome his visit. Zardari is himself in a problem in his country. India must convey its concerns regarding terrorists who are being shielded in Pakistan," said Vijay.
Congress, too, applied the pressure. Congress Spokesperson Rashid Alvi said, "Saeed must be handed over to India."
National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah said, "If Indo-Pak relations are to improve, Hafiz Saeed should be handed over to the court."
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi, members of the Cabinet Committee on Security as well as opposition leaders LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj have been invited for Zardari's lunch with Manmohan Singh.
Zardari's 47-member delegation would include his son Bilawal, interior minister Rehman Mallik and foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar and the two sides would also talk about progress in trade ties and the way forward on Kashmir.
Zardari and Singh would meet to discuss issues of constructive engagement and regional peace. Zardari had last visited the Sufi shrine with his late wife Benazir in 2005.