Pakistan needs international pressure to act against Dawood: Rajnath

New Delhi, May 26  Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that international pressure must be put on Pakistan to act against underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

"International pressure should be put on Pakistan to act against underworld don Dawood Ibrahim," Rajnath Singh said in an interview to a TV channel here marking two years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

Dawood, the chief conspirator of the 1993 Mumbai blasts, is believed to be in Pakistan. The Indian government has from time to time provided Pakistan details of the underworld don's Pakistani passports and reported addresses there so as to locate and hand him over to New Delhi.

Referring to the January 2 Pathankot airbase attack, Rajnath Singh said this kind of attack must not be repeated in the future.

Terrorists of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohamed had attacked the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, killing seven security personnel. 

Attacking the Congress party for raising the Batla House encounter issue, the BJP leader said, "Politics over Batla House encounter must stop."

He also refuted the opposition claims that the Prime Minister's Office is a super PMO. "Allegations of super PMO are baseless as all the decisions are taken after the cabinet meeting."

Rajnath Singh said that the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is still intact and it was clearly visible during the recently concluded assembly elections in five states.

The BJP won in the northeastern state of Assam for the first time.