New Delhi: India made it clear on Tuesday it was not satisfied with the mere detention of terrorist Hafiz Saeed by Pakistan and demanded “a credible crackdown on the mastermind of the Mumbai terrorist attack and terrorist organisations involved in cross border terrorism” which it said would be proof of Pakistan’s sincerity.
New Delhi said Islamabad had carried out such “exercises” of detention “in the past also”, indicating that it (India) was neither impressed nor convinced by such actions which have been merely “cosmetic” in the past.
Even as India made its views clear, the widespread view among foreign policy-watchers is that Islamabad has acted out of fear and under severe pressure from the United States after indications from the Trump administration that Pakistan could also be included in a list of Muslim-majority countries from where immigration to the US has been banned.
The ministry of external affairs said, “We have seen reports on the Pakistan ministry of interior order placing the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Falah-e-Insaniyet foundation under the watchlist and also the notification under which the same has been included in the second schedule of their anti terror legislation under United Nations Security Council Resolution No. 1267.
“We have also noted that Hafiz Saeed and four others have been placed under preventive detention. India has long maintained that the UNSC 1267 provisions pertaining to listing and proscription of known terrorist entities and individuals must be effectively and sincerely enforced by all member states. We have also consistently called for bringing known terrorists under the ambit of the 1267 sanctions. “
“Exercises such as Monday’s orders against Hafiz Saeed and others have been carried out by Pakistan in the past also. Only a credible crack down on the mastermind of the Mumbai terrorist attack and terrorist organisations involved in cross border terrorism would be proof of Pakistan's sincerity.”
According to reports from Pakistan on Monday, Saeed had been detained at JuD’s Lahore headquarters at Masjid Al-Qudsia Chauburji and was later shifted to his Jauhar town residence, declared as a sub-jail.
