As per Republic TV report, Pakistan Foreign Minister, Mahmood Qureshi, had acknowledged that Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan. He further admitted that Masood Azhar was ‘unwell’ and was not getting out of his house. However, India can act against him only if they present ‘solid’ and ‘inalienable’ evidence against the JeM Chief, said Qureshi.
Mahmood Qureshi’s statement, especially in the latest context, is utterly important amidst the increasing tension between the two neighbouring countries. Moreover, JeM took responsibility of the Pulwama attack happened on February 14, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
In a fresh development, India has handed over a dossier to Pakistan with specific details of the JeM’s involvement in the Pulwama terror attack. The dossier also includes details of JeM terror camps and its leadership in Pakistan.
When Qureshi was asked about the presence of Masood Azhar in Pakistan, he told CNN, “He (Masood Azhar) is in Pakistan, according to my information. He is unwell to the extent that he can’t leave his house, because he’s really unwell”. Pakistan Foreign Minister also added that they will take action against him if presented with “evidence that can stand in a court of law”.
“If they have solid, inalienable evidence that is acceptable to courts of Pakistan, share it with us so that we can convince the people and we can convince the independent judiciary of Pakistan. We need to satisfy the legal process,” Qureshi said.
In the wake of the Pulwama attack, the United States, the United Kingdom and the France have proposed that the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) should blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. His blacklisting includes an arms embargo, global travel ban and asset freeze.
Jaish-e-Mohammed, an organization founded and led by the dreaded terrorist Maulana Masood Azhar is responsible for many attacks in Kashmir and many other parts of India. JeM was found to be involved in the Parliament attack in 2001, the Uri and Pathankot attack in 2016, and the Pulwama attack in 2019. It is designated as a terrorist organization by India, UK, US, Russia, UAE, and United Nations.
“The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir, which resulted in over 40 Indian paramilitary forces dead and dozens wounded on February 14, 2019, for which Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility,” read the UNSC press release on the suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir.
There is global pressure on Pakistan to act against terrorism. Pakistan is added in the grey list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) too, for terror funding. It is the right time for Pakistan to handover JeM chief Masood Azhar and 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind, Hafiz Saeed, if they are really concerned about peace .