New Delhi, January 20
US Secretary of State Colin Powell is understood to have told the Vajpayee government during his just-concluded visit here that Pakistan would hand over underworld don Dawood Ibrahim to India with some strings attached, but a sizable section of the Indian leadership is sceptical about Washington’s assessment.

Well-placed sources here told The Tribune today that General Powell told the Indian leadership that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf needed time of 15 to 20 days more on handing over Dawood to India.

The US assessment is Pakistan may actually hand over Dawood to India which should set in motion the process of military de-escalation, reversal of certain diplomatic hard decisions taken by India post the December 13 terrorist attack on Indian Parliament and eventually pave the way for resumption of talks between the two hostile neighbours.

The Indian assessment, however, is that of looking at the Pakistani response to its list of 20 terrorists and criminals with scepticism. The shifting stands of the Musharraf regime on the list of 20 and its announced move of submitting its own list of ten wanted Pakistani criminals who have allegedly taken refuge in India is a case in point. Union Home Minister L.K. Advani, in particular, is one person who does not hide his scepticism over positive response from Pakistan on the Indian demand.

Sources said General Powell conveyed to the Indian leadership that posturing apart, the Musharraf regime was under tremendous pressure from the international community to rein in terrorism directed against India and General Musharraf was being told that this time India was not likely to go for the de-escalation until it got something tangible from Islamabad.

The international community is also impressing upon Pakistan to “make a beginning” by handing over Dawood to India and the rest of the list of 20 could be negotiable once Dawood lands in India.

Sources pointed out that Dawood was being kept in an (ISI) safehouse in Karachi and was virtually in ISI custody.

The international pressure would be on India after Dawood is handed over and New Delhi would then be expected to recall its troops to peacetime locations, send back Indian High Commissioner Vijay Nambiar to Islamabad and resume a structured dialogue with Pakistan. However, in case Pakistan does decide to hand over Dawood to India, it would be with strings attached.

Sources said Pakistan may lay certain preconditions about Dawood’s surrender as follows:

* Dawood’s testimony would be used only for the Bombay blasts case and no other case.

* Dawood would not be used by the Indian government to sully Pakistan’s image in the comity of nations.

Sources said it is in this connection that USA’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) chief Robert Mueller is arriving here tomorrow on a two-day visit. Mr Mueller would be meeting Union Home Secretary Kamal Pande, Intelligence Bureau chief K.P. Singh and CBI chief P.C. Sharma tomorrow. On Tuesday he would be meeting Mr Advani. Mr Mueller is likely to meet National Security Advisor and the PM’s Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra. He may also meet External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh.

America’s CIA Chief George Tenet is also likely to come India in the near future.

The focus of the FBI chief’s talks with the Indian officials would be New Delhi’s list of 20, sources said.