Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday confirmed that terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad’s chief Masood Azhar was in the country. Qureshi told CNN in an interview that Azhar was “very unwell” and “cannot leave his house”.
“He [Azhar] is in Pakistan, according to my information,” Qureshi said. “He is very unwell, unwell to the extent that he cannot leave his house.” The minister said Pakistan would act against him only if India provides “solid, inalienable evidence”. “If they [India] give us evidence which is acceptable to the courts of Pakistan, after all we’ll have to justify, they will go to court. If they have solid, inalienable evidence, share it with us so we can convince the independent judiciary of Pakistan.”
The Jaish-e-Mohammad had claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama on February 14, which killed 40 CRPF personnel. Since then, the relationship between India and Pakistan have been strained.
Earlier in the interview, Qureshi said, “The policy of this government is that we will not allow our soil to be used by any organisation or individual for terrorism against anyone and that includes India.” He said Pakistan was open to “any step that leads to de-escalation”. He also thanked US President Donald Trump for trying to deescalate tensions between India and Pakistan.
Qureshi also said Pakistan does not want an all-out war with India and that Imran Khan has always advocated for peace instead.
Qureshi’s interview came soon after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said his country would release Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured on Wednesday. Khan’s decision was a “goodwill gesture”, Qureshi said. “We feel this should be an expression of Pakistan’s willingness to deescalate. We are willing to hand him over as soon as possible.”
On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that he will release Varthaman, who was captured on Wednesday after his MiG 21 fighter jet was shot down after both countries engaged in aerial skirmishes.
The skirmishes came a day after the Indian Air Force struck a camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan on Tuesday morning. India called the operation a “non-military, counter-terror preemptive action”, and said it had eliminated “a large number” of terror operatives.
The next day, Pakistan used an F-16 aircraft to drop bombs on Indian military installations, though Islamabad claimed that it had struck “non-military” targets across the Line of Control in a show of its capability, and had shot down two Indian aircraft that tried to respond. India had also shot down a Pakistani jet.
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