After its lies having been nailed over Dawood Ibrahim, Pakistan has backtracked on its acknowledgement of presence of India’s “most-wanted” fugitive terrorist on its soil.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry trashed media reports which claimed that Islamabad had admitted to the presence of certain listed individuals on its territory as “baseless and misleading.”
This is Pakistan’s old tactic to try to get out of embarrassing situation after its lies on any issues related to terrorism or otherwise get nailed by India or the world community. Pakistan has always been in denial over its involvement in Mumbai attacks (26/11) and issues like giving shelter to terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and likes of him who are in the mostwanted list of terrorists given by New Delhi to Islamabad. Evidence dossiers have also been given to Pakistan on many occasions, which it has been denying as insufficient.
India has been claiming with supportive and corroborative evidence that Dawood is living in Karachi of Pakistan, under the patronage of the government in Islamabad. Pakistan has been hiding him and rejecting all information and evidence given so far by New Delhi. Pakistan has been exposed on many occasions. Several media showed Dawood hideout in Pakistan much to the embarrassment of Islamabad.
Earlier, Pakistan ended up acknowledging the presence in the country of Dawood Ibrahim. Dawood, Hafiz Saeed, Lashkar-e-Toiba’s operations head and 26/11 accused Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar figured in a list of 88 names published as a Statutory Regulatory Order by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
But after realising that it amounts to admitting to Dawood’s presence on Pakistan’s soil, the foreign ministry in Islamabad immediately trashed it saying the media report’s claims are baseless.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues two consolidagted SROs on 18 August, 2020, reflecting the current status of the UN Taliban and ISIL (Da’esh) and AQ Sanctions list. These lists contain names of individuals and entities designated under the two sanction regimes established pursuant to the UN Security Council resolutions. The consolidated SROs have been issued, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the past, as per statutory requirements to meet our international obligations. Last such SROs were issued in 2019,” the statement said.
“The SROs issued reflect information contained in the list entry of UN designated individuals/entities. The reports in certain sections of the media about Pakistan imposing new sanctions measures, through these SROs, are not factual. Similarly, the assertions made by some sections of the Indian media, as to Pakistan admitting to the presence of certain listed individuals on its territory, based on the information contained in the SRO, are baseless and misleading,” the statement added.
MEA sources say that India won’t let this issue go like this. It has taken note of the SROs and the issue will be raised on the international forum. Pakistan’s admission of Dawood being there is clear to one and all, and it will be duly raised to expose how Islamabad is harbouring terrorism and the perpetrators of terrorist acts.