E-Paper
On Pak push for Hafiz Saeed’s ‘pocket money’, India explains the problem
Pakistan had got clearance from the UN Sanctions Committee for Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed to let him access $1,000 a month from his frozen bank accounts.
Pakistan, which had approached a UN security council panel to get terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed a monthly allowance, came in for a sharp attack from New Delhi, which underscored that the Imran Khan government’s hard push to help the designated global terrorist exposed Islamabad duplicity.
Pakistan had got clearance from the UN Sanctions Committee for Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed to let him access $1,000 a month from his frozen bank accounts.
“This is a UN-designated global terrorist, the mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks and carries a US bounty of $10 million on his head. And Pakistan makes an application to the UN sanctions Committee, on behalf of the global terrorist, asking for pocket money to be given to him. This is a strange situation,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
“And then Pakistan says no one believes them when they act against terrorists. Who will believe you? This is the duplicity, you say something and do something else.”
Islamabad’s request to the UNSC panel to let Hafiz Saeed access Pakistani Rs 1.5 lakh every month is curious that its law enforcement agencies had arrested Hafiz Saeed for terror financing.
Saeed, chief of UN-designated terrorist organisation Jammat--ud-Dawa was banned in December 2008 by the United Nations Security Council after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed. Hafiz Saeed had tried to get off the UN list earlier this year but the attempt was firmly blocked.
Indian officials had earlier elaborated how Pakistan’s push highlighted the nexus between Islamabad and jihadists in the country who are backed by the official machinery. Second, it confirms India’s understanding and information about Hafiz Saeed’s clout in the Pakistani security establishment.
