Maulana Masood Azhar, founder and leader of Jaish-e-Muhammad – an outfit dedicated to ‘jihad’, the liberation of Kashmir and similar heady stuff – has been one of our more enduring ‘jihadi’ symbols, a long-standing fixture on the ‘jihadi’ scene. He was arrested in India in 1994 and spent years in Indian prisons. When an Indian civilian aircraft was hijacked in December 1999, the hijackers demanded the Maulana’s release. The plane was flowing to Kandahar. Maulana…
Posts published in “Day: January 15, 2016”
Something is beginning to stir in the tangled undergrowth that is around the feet of anti-terrorism operations across the country. There has been criticism, some of it very pointed, that there are elements of the National Action Plan that are not being pursued as diligently as they might, particularly in Punjab. That may be about to change with a decision on whether to go ahead with an operation perhaps involving the Rangers in south Punjab…
Pakistan has to take tough decisions in the wake of recent developments after the Pathankot air base attack in India that threatened to wreck a thaw in relations between the two countries. As per the latest claims, the security agencies have arrested members of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) while the offices of the organisation are being traced and sealed. There are also unconfirmed reports that the head of JeM, Maulana Masood Azhar, is among those arrested…
Pakistan has taken a step forward towards demonstrating to the world, and in the current context most notably to India, that it is determined to wage a battle against terrorism and ensure that militancy does not wreck the region. Following a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister, and attended by almost every top official in the country including Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, a crackdown was conducted on the Jaish-e-Muhammad, with its…
The Pakistani government has seemingly kept its word to India, with reports coming of arrests made of over 12 suspects from Jaish-e-Muhammad (JM), the group identified by India as behind the Pathankot attack. Although originally it was reported that Masood Azhar was a part of this number, the fact that even the Foreign Office seems to know nothing of this implies that this may not be case. While the government claims that notable offices and…
LAHORE – An evidence file, comprising 78 pages, has been couriered by ‘Never Forget’ organisation to all the members of the National Assembly against Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz. Interior Minister Chaudary Nisar, while addressing the Senate on December 30, 2015, had said there was no evidence against Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz and, it should be furnished to the government if there was any. ‘Never Forget’ has sent a letter to the MNAs…
SIALKOT: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) sealed a mosque-cum-seminary and arrested 14 people in Mundeyki Goraya village on Thursday. The mosque and seminary were being run by the defunct militant organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). A senior official said that a contingent of CTD and police raided and sealed Jamia Masjid and Madressah Al-Noor located some 14km from Daska. The team detained 14 activists of the banned organisation but did not reveal their identities. The official said that…
ISLAMABAD: While the six-member team constituted by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to investigate the Pathankot incident is set to meet for the first time today (Friday), serious questions are being raised on the performance of the Punjab government on controlling the activities of the banned organisation Jaish-e-Muhammad (JM) despite the fact that a year has passed since the initiation of the National Action Plan. Sources told The News that the investigation team, in addition to…
LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Thursday confirmed that Jaish-i-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar is under ‘protective custody’. Speaking on DawnNews talk show ‘News Eye’, Sanaullah while responding to a question confirmed that Masood Azhar was taken into protective custody by the counter-terrorism department. When asked if his custody can be termed an ‘arrest’, the provincial law minister explained that Azhar will only face arrest and legal action if his involvement in the Pathankot…
Islamabad: Foreign Office says it has no information regarding the detention of of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) head Masood Azhar. Indian intelligence had earlier accused Azhar of being the mastermind of Pathankot attacks. While talking to the media, Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said that Pakistan is ‘not aware of such arrests.’ “Due to negative Indian response the Foreign Secretary level talks have been postponed for the time being.” he added. He further said scheduled talks…
WASHINGTON: A senior US official has condemned the recent attack on an Indian airbase and urged Pakistan to take the fight to all terrorist outfits working along its borders. In a separate statement, the US State Department welcomed Pakistan’s announcement that it had arrested some suspects during a probe into the attack at the Pathankot airbase. While addressing a seminar in New Delhi, Under-Secretary of State for Civilian Security Sarah Sewall urged Pakistan to target…