India has sought credible action against Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and four others, who were put under preventive detention by Pakistan on Monday evening. Reacting to the news, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said this is not the first time Pakistani authorities have reported a crackdown against Saeed, only to let him off later.
“We have seen reports on the Pakistan Ministry of Interior order placing the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation under a watchlist and also the notification under which the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation has been included in the second schedule of their anti-terror legislation under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution No. 1267. We have also noted that Hafiz Saeed and four others have been placed under preventive detention,” Swarup said on Tuesday.
“Exercises such as yesterday’s orders against Hafiz Saeed and others have been carried out by Pakistan in the past also. Only a credible crackdown on the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attack and terrorist organisations involved in cross-border terrorism would be proof of Pakistan’s sincerity,” Swarup said.
He added that India has long maintained that UNSC Resolution No. 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,” Swarup said.
Pakistan said it has placed Saeed under a 90-day house arrest with indications that it could be extended. The detention is perceived to be under pressure from the new administration in the United States of America which has indicated tough actions against countries that shelter terrorists.
According to JuD activists, Saeed was at Masjid-e-Qudsia Chauburji in lahore when police descended there to implement the detention order issued by Punjab Province’s Interior Ministry in pursuance to a directive from the Federal Interior Ministry on January 27. Media reports from Islamabad claimed that a defiant Saeed said his detention would give a “fresh impetus” to the Kashmiris’ “struggle against India.”
Pakistani authorities said names of several activists of JuD and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, a charity run by Saeed, have been placed on Exit Control list to stop them from leaving the country. They also started to remove the banners of JuD from the roads of lahore. National flags were hoisted at the JuD offices in lahore, instead of party flags
Saeed’s supporters accused the Nawaz Sharif Government of succumbing to the wishes of the US, which has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed’s arrest. “This Government has buckled under the pressure,” JuD spokesperson Nadeem Awan said, who also accused India of pressurising the Pakistani Government.