New Delhi: A day after admitting that Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan, the country’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made another startling admission – that Islamabad government has been in touch with the banned terror outfit. Qureshi revealed this during an interview, after he was pressed about why Pakistan has failed to take any action against JeM despite it claiming responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.
In an interview, Qureshi said that the crisis between the two neighbouring countries would not have taken place, had India listened to what Pakistan was saying. He said that Pakistan will act upon terrorism if India can provide evidence to them. Replying to a question, the Pakistan foreign minister clearly said that JeM has not claimed responsibility of the Pulwama attack.
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While on Friday, Qureshi did not attend a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) being hosted by the United Arab Emirates over the grouping's failure to rescind the invitation to his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj. Despite strong protest from Pakistan, Swaraj was invited to the OIC meeting as a guest of honour. The Pakistani minister's interview was conducted on a day when the entire nation was awaiting the arrival of IAF's Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistani authorities on February 27 after an air combat between the air forces of the two countries.
It is worth mentioning here that Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early on Tuesday. It came 11 days after the JeM claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers.
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