On the ground of clinching evidence gathered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Pulwama attack, India has mounted massive pressure on Pakistan for taking action against Jaishe-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar.
New Delhi has asked Islamabad to not only act against Azhar, but also against all terror activities by his outfit operating from its soil. India has also asked Pakistan to crack down on the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks of 2008.
According to sources, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is ready to reach out to the United Nations (UN) to expose Pakistan for its hand in terrorism in India in the light of new evidence collected by NIA in Pulwama attack. Indian Mission has been given the evidence for making the ground for the same, says an official. That’s not all. Fresh round of attacks will be mounted on Islamabad for its failure to punish the master-minds of 26/11 attacks of Mumbai.
Sources say India will haul Pakistan over the coals for its reluctance to take any concrete action in Mumbai attacks, and if need be, another bundle of dossiers of evidence will be sent to Islamabad through the Indian High Commissioner. Indian officials are of the view that with Pakistan using the world fora to project itself to be a crusader against terrorism, it is the right time for India to fast-track its diplomacy to expose it at United Nations as well as different international fora. NIA chargesheet exposing Masood Azhar has come at a right time which will strengthen this mission of New Delhi, says the official.
MEA spokesman Anurag Shrivastava on Thursday asked Pakistan to prosecute the perpetrators of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and 2008 Mumbai carnage. He further said that the main accused in last year’s suicide bombing — Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar — continues to be sheltered by Islamabad.
The MEA spokesman said that Islamabad was evading its responsibility even after New Delhi had shared “enough evidence” on the suicide bombing.
The chargesheet filed by the NIA in a court in Jammu on Tuesday named Masood Azhar, his two brothers Abdul Rauf Asghar Alvi and Ammar Alvi, his nephew Mohammad Umar Farooq and 15 others who carried out the bombing at Pakistan’s behest. The attack killed 40 Indian troopers and triggered a brief stand-off between the two countries.
However, like before, Pakistan rejected the chargesheet, contending it contained fabrications to further the Indian government’s “anti-Pakistan rhetoric and its narrow domestic political interests”.
Srivastava said: “Jaish-eMohammad claimed the responsibility for the Pulwama attack. The organisation and its leadership are in Pakistan. It is regrettable that Masood Azhar, the first accused in the chargesheet continues to find shelter in Pakistan.” He added, “Enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan, but it continues to evade responsibility.”
The chargesheet, Srivastava said, was filed after an investigation lasting a yearand-a-half since the attack on 14 February last year. “It has been filed to address the act of terrorism and to bring perpetrators of such a heinous crime to justice. Our aim is not to simply issue statements or notifications,” he said.
Srivastava also pointed out that Pakistan was yet to take “any credible action” against perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008, which claimed 166 lives, including 25 foreign nationals.
After the matter was widely reported in the Indian media, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement the SROs didn’t amount to “Pakistan admitting to the presence of certain listed individuals on its territory”.
On the issue of Pakistan backtracking after admitting to the presence of Dawood Ibrahim on its soil, Srivastava said: “Pakistan’s assertion that the SRO does not mean that it admits to the presence of listed individuals on its territory or that it would impose any new measures on these listed individuals, lays bare the insincerity of Pakistan in responding to legitimate expectations of the world that they will track down international terrorists based on its soil.”
Pakistan, he said, has “not only maintained its opposition to this international consensus, but it has also chosen not to act against” the terrorists. “Pakistan has never taken any credible and verifiable action against terror entities or listed individuals, including the most wanted ones,” he added.
The MEA spokesman said the denial by Pakistan’s Foreign Office “calls into question their intentions and it would not mislead the world community in believing its propaganda”. He added, “Pakistan must take credible action and ensure that the listed individuals are prosecuted.”