India wants Pakistani sign of faith over Mumbai attacks

India demanded Pakistan hand over 20 of its most wanted men in a sign of good faith yesterday, while both sides tried to cool tensions over the Mumbai attacks that have threatened to damage improving ties.

India's foreign minister said military action was not being considered and his Pakistani counterpart offered a joint probe to find the militants responsible for a three-day rampage that killed 183 in India's financial capital. India renewed its demand for men it has hunted for years in a protest note handed to Pakistan's High Commissioner Shahid Malik in New Delhi on Monday, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters.

"We have in our demarche (diplomatic protest) asked for the arrest and handover of those persons who are settled in Pakistan and who are fugitive of Indian law," he said yesterday, adding about 20 people were on the list.

Officials said the list included Dawood Ibrahim, a Mumbai underworld leader, and Maulana Masood Azhar, a Pakistani Muslim cleric freed from jail in India in exchange for passengers on a hijacked plane. New Delhi's foreign ministry said on Monday that Mr Malik had been told that "Pakistan's actions needed to match the sentiments expressed by its leadership that it wishes to have a qualitatively new relationship with India".

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, speaking in a televised address, said now was not the time for a "blame game, taunts (and) finger-pointing".

"The government of Pakistan has offered a joint investigating mechanism and a joint commission to India. We are ready to jointly go into the depth of this issue and we are ready to compose a team that could help you," Mr Qureshi said.

"Pakistan wants good relations with India," he said.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa was in New Delhi on a scheduled visit yesterday while US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due to arrive today.

India has blamed Islamist militants based in Pakistan for the attacks in India's financial capital.

Ibrahim, India's most wanted man, is reported to be living in Pakistan. He is wanted for bomb attacks in Mumbai in 1993 that killed at least 250 people.

Reports have said his henchmen in the city could have also provided some support in the latest strike.