Terming the arrest of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed by Pakistan as a ‘drama’, India on Thursday hoped that the Mumbai terror attack mastermind would be brought to justice this time around and not released yet again after some time.
“This is not the first time that Hafiz Saeed has been arrested or detained. This drama has taken place at least 8 times since 2001. The question is whether this time it would be more than a cosmetic exercise and whether Saeed will be tried and sentenced for his terrorist activities,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing here.
He noted that Saeed was a UN proscribed terrorist and all member states of the UN, including Pakistan, were obliged to act against him. Saeed, he pointed out, headed terror outfits like the JuD and LeT which train thousands of people for carrying out terror attacks in India. Saeed also carried a bounty of $10 million on his head.
The spokesperson said Pakistan’s sincerity would be judged on the basis of verifiable, irreversible and credible action against terrorism emanating from its soil.
Saeed was arrested while on his way to Gujranwala from Lahore on charges of terror funding on Wednesday. Soon after his arrest, US President Donald Trump tweeted: “After a ten-year search, the so-called ‘mastermind’ of the Mumbai terror attacks has been arrested in Pakistan. Great pressure has been exerted over the last two years to find him!”
After a ten year search, the so-called “mastermind” of the Mumbai Terror attacks has been arrested in Pakistan. Great pressure has been exerted over the last two years to find him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2019
Saeed’s arrest came days before Trump meets Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Oval Office in Washington. Asked for his response to Trump’s tweet, the Indian spokesperson said it must be seen in the context of Indo-US cooperation in the fight against terrorism.