ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani confirmed on Wednesday that Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, a Lashkar-e-Taiba commander who Indian investigators suspect to be the mastermind behind the Mumbai attacks, had been taken into custody in a crackdown on the group.He also hinted that Pakistan is prepared to impose a ban on the LeT front Jamat-ud-Dawah and take action against the founder-leader of both, Hafiz Saeed, if it was designated as a terror group by the United Nations Security Council.
In addition, he confirmed that Zarar Shah, named in a New York Times report as a communications expert of the LeT and a “central character” in the plot, and a possible “liaison” between the group and the Inter-Services Intelligence, was also in custody.
Speaking to reporters in his hometown Multan, Mr. Gilani, however, said he did not know about the reported action against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar. A Pakistani newspaper had said authorities had “confined” Azhar to his home in Bahawalpur which, like Multan, is in southern Punjab province.
“About the other two [Lakhvi and Shah], yes. We are investigating them,” Mr. Gilani said, in reply to a question about all three. “As far as Maulana Masood Azhar is concerned, I have not received any report about him.”
The Prime Minister said if India provided evidence of any Pakistani’s involvement in the Mumbai attacks, action would be taken against that person or persons in accordance with Pakistani law.
“If the Indian government provides evidence, we will take action; we have already started taking action on our own, and that is a good message for our neighbour country and for the whole world that Pakistan is a responsible nation and is taking action on its own,” he said.
He denied the actions were being taken under pressure from India and the U.S. Mr. Gilani declined to answer a question about the Indian allegation that all attackers were Pakistanis, and said he would wait until full investigations had been conducted.
Asked about the possibility of a ban on the Jamat-ud-Dawah in case the U.N. Security Council designates it as a terrorist group (Pakistan’s permanent representative to the U.N has said this could be considered) Mr. Gilani said the world did not differentiate between the JuD and the LeT. “Lashkar-e-Taiba is a banned organisation. If the office-bearers of [the LeT] become part of a new group, then tell me what should we call such an organisation. They are not making a differentiation between the [LeT and the JuD]. They are considered one and the same.”
In addition, he confirmed that Zarar Shah, named in a New York Times report as a communications expert of the LeT and a “central character” in the plot, and a possible “liaison” between the group and the Inter-Services Intelligence, was also in custody.
Speaking to reporters in his hometown Multan, Mr. Gilani, however, said he did not know about the reported action against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar. A Pakistani newspaper had said authorities had “confined” Azhar to his home in Bahawalpur which, like Multan, is in southern Punjab province.
“About the other two [Lakhvi and Shah], yes. We are investigating them,” Mr. Gilani said, in reply to a question about all three. “As far as Maulana Masood Azhar is concerned, I have not received any report about him.”
The Prime Minister said if India provided evidence of any Pakistani’s involvement in the Mumbai attacks, action would be taken against that person or persons in accordance with Pakistani law.
“If the Indian government provides evidence, we will take action; we have already started taking action on our own, and that is a good message for our neighbour country and for the whole world that Pakistan is a responsible nation and is taking action on its own,” he said.
He denied the actions were being taken under pressure from India and the U.S. Mr. Gilani declined to answer a question about the Indian allegation that all attackers were Pakistanis, and said he would wait until full investigations had been conducted.
Asked about the possibility of a ban on the Jamat-ud-Dawah in case the U.N. Security Council designates it as a terrorist group (Pakistan’s permanent representative to the U.N has said this could be considered) Mr. Gilani said the world did not differentiate between the JuD and the LeT. “Lashkar-e-Taiba is a banned organisation. If the office-bearers of [the LeT] become part of a new group, then tell me what should we call such an organisation. They are not making a differentiation between the [LeT and the JuD]. They are considered one and the same.”
“U.S. verifying reports”
Warning of “unintended consequences” if Pakistan did not act against the “non-state actors” who used its territory to stage attacks in Mumbai, the U.S. on Wednesday said it was “working hard” to verify what Islamabad was actually doing against such elements.
“... I think we have to be concerned because it’s obviously a time of great outrage in India. And what I emphasised was that this was a threat to both Pakistan and India, these terrorists,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview to the National Public Radio.
Warning of “unintended consequences” if Pakistan did not act against the “non-state actors” who used its territory to stage attacks in Mumbai, the U.S. on Wednesday said it was “working hard” to verify what Islamabad was actually doing against such elements.
“... I think we have to be concerned because it’s obviously a time of great outrage in India. And what I emphasised was that this was a threat to both Pakistan and India, these terrorists,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview to the National Public Radio.
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