Pakistan on Saturday did a volte face and dismissed its own government’s claims that it had taken over a complex in its Bahawalpur city, believed to be the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammed extremist group. The group had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack on February 14 in which 40 Indian Army personnel were killed.
Pakistan Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday claimed the Bahawalpur campus that was taken over comprised a mosque and a seminary, according to Geo TV.
On Friday, Chaudhry had told PTI that the Punjab government had taken over control of the Jaish-e-Mohammad headquarters in Bahawalpur. However, a day later, Chaudhry in a video message on Twitter clarified that the Punjab government took administrative control of Madrassatul Sabir and Jamia-e-Masjid Subhanallah in Bahawalpur in line with the decisions taken during the National Security Council meeting held on Thursday.
“Calling it Jaish headquarters is India’s propaganda,” Chaudhry said. “Tomorrow [Saturday], the Punjab government will give media persons a tour of the madrassas so everyone can see how it is functioning and see the truth for themselves,” he said.
Chaudhry said the madrassa had around 700 students. “This step [to take administrative control] has nothing to do with the attack in occupied Kashmir,” he said referring to the suicide attack in Pulwama. “NAP [National Action Plan] is our own security document over which all political parties are in consensus and we are implementing it.”
Ties between India and Pakistan have worsened after the Pulwama attack, with the United Nations also pushing for talks between the two countries. A day after the February 14 attack, India had revoked Pakistan’s Most Favoured Nation tag, and said it would isolate Islamabad globally. Islamabad has refuted allegations that it was connected with the attack. United States President Donald Trump has called the current scenario a “very dangerous situation” said his administration was communicating with both the countries to de-escalate the situation.
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