“If this information is confirmed, then it is a step forward in the correct direction,” External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh told reporters after nearly a 90-minute meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) presided over by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee this morning.

Defence Minister George Fernandes, who was on a visit to forward locations, rushed back for the meeting today.

He was replying to a question whether New Delhi was satisfied with the actions being taken by the Musharraf regime against JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar and Lashkar founder Hafiz Mohammed Saeed.

Mr Jaswant Singh said India had received information about “some action” having been taken by the Pakistani authorities against the Lashkar and the JeM, including the arrest of leaders.

On the Pakistani demand that India should furnish evidence against these terrorist groups, the External Affairs Minister said: “It is strange to talk about this” when the country was a victim of terrorists’ aggression.

“So far as the evidence of terrorist activities is concerned, it has been provided in a sufficient manner to the international community”, he said, adding that it was largely on that basis that Islamabad had taken action against the terrorist outfits.

Mr Jaswant Singh said India would be handing over a list to the Pakistan High Commission here of terrorists and criminals, who had taken refuge in that country. He, however, did not give out any further details including the number of terrorists and criminals named in the list.

He said India had been informing Interpol about the activities of these terrorist outfits leading to “red alert” being issued against them by the Paris-based organisation.

On whether the government was satisfied with the U S efforts to contain Pakistan sponsored cross-border terrorism, the minister said Washington had made clear its commitment to stamp out terrorism globally.