[20/March/2010]

NEW DELHI, March 20 (Saba) -- Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake on Saturday said in New Delhi that his country will allow India to interrogate David Headley, who has pleaded guilty to his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

The statement came after severe criticism in India of the US decision not to allow extradition of Headley to India for trial in the Mumbai terror case.

Blake also made it clear that "Headley cannot be extradited to India".

"With respect to the Headley case, the plea bargain agreement was announced and part of that agreement was that the US would not extradite Headley either to India or Pakistan or Denmark for the charges for which he has now admitted guilt. On these charges he cannot be extradited," Blake told reporters here.

Blake, who is scheduled to visit Pakistan and Afghanistan during his trip, said that he would be asking the Pakistani Government to check activities of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). "We think it is very important for Pakistan to tick off the LeT threat. Not just because of the security and stability of the US, but also India and other countries. I will be discussing this on my trip to Pakistan," he added.

To a question if the US would pressurise Pakistan to act against the terror groups operating from its soil, Blake said that Pakistan had always said it would not allow terrorists to operate from its soil, and that the US expected Islamabad to abide by that commitment.

Saba