Islamabad, Dec 09: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar on Tuesday confirmed the detention of Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Maulana Masood Azhar and also indicated that India may be allowed to interrogate him. Speaking to a private news channel, the defence minister also rubbished reports suggesting troop build up along the border with India - amid escalating tensions between the two nations.
He also reiterated his country’s readiness for a joint probe into the Mumbai terror attacks. Mukhtar also confirmed the arrest of top LeT commander and Mumbai attacks mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The confirmation by Chaudhry Mukhtar came after Pakistani media reports today said that restrictions had been imposed on Masood Azhar’s movement and he has been confined to his multi-storey home in ModelTown area of Bahawalpur. The JeM chief was freed by Indian authorities along with two other terrorists in exchange for passengers of the IC-814 Indian Airlines flight hijacked from Kathmandu to Kandahar in 1999.
The action against Masood Azhar followed the arrest of senior Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) commander and suspected Mumbai terror attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi, in raids conducted by the Pakistan Army on the terror group’s hideouts.
Along with Lakhwi, Pakistani security forces captured on the outskirts of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir capital of Muzaffarabad at least 19 other members of the LeT and its front organisation, Jamaat-ud-Dawah.
Islamabad seems to have swung into action amid growing international pressure to crackdown on the banned LeT, seen as the prime suspect in the deadly Mumbai siege that left at least 183 persons dead. US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice too has pressed Pakistan to act quickly.
However, even as the Pak Defence Minister confirmed the development, the country’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made it clear that any of its citizens found to be linked to the Mumbai terror attacks will not be handed over to India, but tried under Pakistan’s own laws.
"The arrests being made are for our own investigations. Even if allegations are proved against any suspect he will not be handed over to India," Qureshi said.
If necessary, he said, he would visit India to clarify Islamabad's position to New Delhi.
His comments echoed a decision made by the Pakistani cabinet yesterday to take action against any persons or groups involved in the Mumbai attacks only "within the ambit of Pakistani law".
The meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, also pledged to act on all information provided by India regarding the attacks. It also renewed Pakistan's offer to cooperate in probing the incident by setting up a joint investigative commission.
The Pak government had yesterday turned down India's demand to hand over Masood Azhar, Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon. The demand had been made in a demarche handed over by India in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.
This interrogation offer by Pakistan would turn out to be a farce. The so-called interrogation would be permitted only in Pakistan and our officials would only be allowed questions that lead to a dead end. Pakistan must be told in no uncertain terms to hand over the scum to India.
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