Pakistani daily Dawn, quoting the Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, reported the news.
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Pakistan’s Punjab province Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Thursday made it clear that that banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar has been taken into “protective custody” along with his accomplices but he has not been arrested yet.
Police officials in Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan, Bahawalnagar and Multan, where the arrest were reportedly have taken place, refuted such reports, and regard the matter a federal subject.
In a display of willingness to act on Indian concerns, Pakistani authorities have shut down several religious schools run by Jaish-e-Mohammad, the terror outfit believed by India to have orchestrated the 2 January attack on an IAF base in Pathankot. However, the federal government has not confirmed Azhar’s detention. Welcoming the action taken against JeM by Pakistan, Mr Swarup termed it as “an important and positive step”. “We also note that the government of Pakistan considering to send a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the Pathankot terror attack”, he said.
Even as the Foreign Secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan scheduled to be held in February were mutually deferred, the two countries ensured that the Pathankot terror attack does not derail their engagement as India welcomed the proposed visit of a Pakistan investigation team.
In Pakistan, Masood Azhar keeps ranting against India. Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Qazi Khalilulluah in a news briefing on Thursday said, “Pakistan is in touch with India to finalise the new date for Foreign Secretaries level talks in Islamabad”.
However, the Foreign Office has said that it’s not aware of the arrest of Azhar.
“We have taken Maulana Azhar and his fellows under protective custody in connection with the Pathankot incident”.
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Masood Azhar and two other Pakistani terrorists were freed by India in December 1999 in exchange for the passengers of an Indian Airlines flight hijacked to Kandahar in Afghanistan.
