Chief of Markaz Dawat-ul-Irshad (centre for preaching) Hafiz Muhammad Saeed addressing the concluding session of the Markaz congregation earlier this week near Lahore said they will also include Himachal Pradesh in their area of activities, media here reported.

He brushed aside the reports that the United States is preparing groundwork to declare Markaz a terrorist organisation saying the American move is due to the fact that ``it cannot tolerate Islam''.

Pakistani media quoting intelligence reports had recently claimed that the United States is on the verge of declaring Markaz a terrorist organisation and is gathering information on its activities after its chief declared jehad against America following its missileattack on the terrorist training camps of Saudi dissident, Osama bin Laden, on August 20.

The US had earlier declared Harkat ul-Ansar, another Pakistan-based group, as a terrorist body apart from Osama bin Laden's Al-qaida group.

Pak seeks MQM chief

Pakistan has sought formal extradition of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) strongman Altaf Hussain from Britain charging him with 50 killings and 150 kidnappings and waging a terror campaign through telephone from his headquarters in London.

The Sunday Times quoting Pakistani government officials said if the extradition proceedings failed, it would press for trial of Altaf in a British court under the recently passed British criminal justice (terrorism and conspiracy) act, 1998.