Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has confessed that the chief of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, Masood Azhar is in Pakistan.
JeM Chief Masood Azhar Is In Pakistan, Admits Pak Foreign Minister
HIGHLIGHTS
- In an interview to CNN, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Masood Azhar is unwell and cannot even leave his house
- Azhar will only be arrested if India give evidence, which is acceptable to the courts of Pakistan, he said
- ‘Please sit and talk. Initiate a dialogue,’ he added
Qureshi in an interview said, “He (Masood Azhar) is in Pakistan. According to my information, he is very unwell. He’s unwell to the extent that he cannot leave his house because he is really unwell. So, that’s the information I have”.
The Pakistan foreign minister’s remarks arose as France, the UK and the US have hurled a new bid at the UN to list Masood Azhar, founder of the Jaish that took accountability for the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, as a global terrorist though China continued non-committal on supporting the move.
Qureshi also claimed that Pakistan will take action in contradiction of the Jaish chief if India offers “solid, inalienable evidence”. He said, “If they give us evidence which is acceptable to the courts of Pakistan… after all we will have to justify they will go to the court. If they have solid, inalienable evidence, share it with us so that we can convince the independent judiciary of Pakistan”.
France is leading the newest as well as the fourth effort to place Azhar on the blacklist of UN’s 1267 Committee that by now also comprises the JeM, which he created after being freed by India in the year 1999 in the interchange for passengers of an Air India flight which was hijacked to Kandahar.
Earlier three attempts were obstructed by China, which quoted the guidelines under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 and absence of proof and agreement. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson was non-committal when asked whether Beijing will block the newest move to list Azhar.
As per Mahmood Qureshi, he said that Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s verdict to let Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman free was a “goodwill gesture” and an expression of Pakistan’s “willingness to de-escalate”.
On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had declared that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be freed on Friday after New Delhi wanted his absolute, direct and unharmed release gesturing de-escalation in the strengthening tension with New Delhi.
Imran Khan’s declaration also came among pressure from New Delhi and additional countries to act in contradiction of terror originating from his country.
The 35-year-old Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was flying the MiG-21 Bison that blast down the PAF F-16 in the mid-air engagement with Pakistan on Wednesday morning.
Air Vice-Marshal RGK Kapoor said, “The F-16 crashed and fell across the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Air Force lost one MiG 21 aircraft. Though the pilot ejected safely, his parachute drifted into PoJ&K (Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir), where he was taken into custody by Pakistan army”.
The IAF pilot finally reached India after spending almost 60 hours in Pakistan. He was brought up by authorities of Pakistani from Rawalpindi to Lahore and was first handed over to the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) under rules of the Geneva Convention in advance for being carried to the Wagah check post to coming back home.
For his grand welcoming, large crowds had waited for hours at the Attari-Wagah crossing, holding flags and garlands.
“He will be taken for a detailed medical checkup. The officer has had to eject from a plane which would have put his body under immense strain,” said Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor.
