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Masood Azhar’s brother, son among 44 of proscribed organisations detained

Masood Azhar, head of Pakistan's militant Jaish-e-Mohammad party, attends a pro-Taliban conference organised by the Afghan Defence Council in Islamabad August 26, 2001. File photo.

Masood Azhar, head of Pakistan's militant Jaish-e-Mohammad party, attends a pro-Taliban conference organised by the Afghan Defence Council in Islamabad August 26, 2001. File photo.   | Photo Credit: Reuters

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Pulwama attack 2019

Imran Khan will decide on detention of Masood Azhar in the next 24 hours, says Azaz Syed, author of ''The Secret of Pakistan’s War on Al-Qaeda,'' in Geo TV

Pakistan has taken 44 members of banned organisations, including Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar’s son and brother, into preventive detention, the Ministry of Interior said on Tuesday.

“In order to implement [the] National Action Plan (NAP), a high-level meeting was held in the Ministry of Interior on March 4, which was attended by representatives of all provincial governments. It was decided to speed up action against all proscribed organisations,” the Ministry said in a statement.

“In compliance, 44 under-observation members of proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Raoof [Masood Azhar’s brother] and Hamad Azhar [his son], have been taken into preventive detention for investigation. These actions will continue, as per the decisions taken in National Security Committee (NSC), while reviewing the National Action Plan.”

Solely Pakistan’s own decision: Minister

The action plan was announced by the Pakistani government to crack down on terrorism.

Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi said in a press conference in Islamabad that this is solely Pakistan’s decision. “We will not allow Pakistani soil to be used against any country,” he said. Ministry of Interior Secretary Azam Khan was also present at the press conference.

Masood Azhar’s son and brother were named in the Pulwama dossier handed to Pakistan by India last week, said Azaz Syed, author of The Secret of Pakistan’s War on Al-Qaeda.

Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar

Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar   | Photo Credit: NIA

 

Indian dossiers after Mumbai and Pathankot attacks were quite powerful and contained evidence, which is why cases were lodged in Pakistani courts against those allegedly involved in those attacks. “However, the Pulwama dossier seems weak and lacks tangible evidence. Still, the government of Pakistan has arrested both Mufti Abdul Raoof and Hamad Azhar as they have been identified in the Pulwama dossier. Pakistan will conduct its own investigation now,” Mr. Syed told The Hindu.

Mr. Syed also told Geo TV that Prime Minister Imran Khan will decide about the detention of Masood Azhar in the next 24 hours.

Senior journalist Kashif Abbasi said that in his interactions with senior civil and military leadership over the past few months, it’s clear that the authorities are this time serious in actions against militants. “Pakistan has realised that it will have to take action against militant organisations. With the kind of international pressure due to the FATF [Financial Action Task Force], Pakistan cannot afford to have these organisations operate from our soil.”

'There is no currency for militancy'

“The international environment has changed so we are cracking down on militancy for ourselves, not for anyone else,” he added.

The FATF, the multilateral body on terror financing, has placed Pakistan on its ‘grey list’, which makes it difficult for Pakistan to get international loans.

Security analyst Muhammad Amir Rana said that after the 2002 crackdown on Jaish and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Pakistan saw a wave of terrorist attacks, including two assassination attempts on General Pervez Musharraf. “Before the Lal Masjid operation, most terrorist attacks in Pakistan were carried out by the splinter groups of Jaish. Pakistan paid a heavy price for this crackdown as these organisations have proper hardcore militants. Pakistan has now taken a huge risk by launching another crackdown against Jaish. Security forces believe there may be retaliation but Pakistan’s intentions this time are quite serious,” Mr. Rana told The Hindu.

He said this decision is due to the FATF pressure. A proper framework is being formulated by Pakistan in this regard, he added.

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