In a bid to clear the confusion over the ban on the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit said here on Friday that the outfit had not been banned, but its accounts had been frozen and movement of its members restricted following a United Nations resolution.
“We are proceeding strictly in accordance with the U.N. resolution and the Jamaat’s bank accounts have been frozen and there is a ban on the travelling abroad of its leadership. So we are moving in accordance with whatever is required under the [U.N.] resolution,” Mr. Basit said at the “India Today global round table.” He said the Pakistan government had taken over JuD’s facilities.
‘No two views’
Answering a question on JuD chief Hafiz Saeed’s arrest, Mr. Basit said, “I will remind the audience that the resolution [U.N.] itself does not require member states to lock up such individuals.”
He made it clear that there were no two views on the implementation of the U.N. resolution.
"Pakistan proceeding against all terror outfits"
Mr. Basit said that Islamabad “is now moving ahead without any distinction when it comes to terrorism. “We are proceeding against all organisations which come within the purview of the resolution,” he said.
Refusing to comment on what actions were taken recently against terror groups, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasnim Aslam denied that action was being taken under U.S. pressure after Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Pakistan.
Replying to a question from journalist Karan Thapar on whether Pakistan was under pressure from the U.K. and the U.S. to hand over Lashkar-e-Taiba leader and 26/11 mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi either to India or to them, Mr. Basit termed the media reports incorrect.
Claiming that Pakistan was ready to hold talks with India, the envoy said that for Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir remained the core issue that needs to be resolved. “Jammu and Kashmir is not a territorial matter. It is about the people of J&K,” he said.
