JeM leader’s brother, son among 44 detained

ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi on Tuesday announced that 44 under-observation members of proscribed organisations (POs), including Mufti Abdul Rauf and Hamad Azhar, had been taken into preventive detention for investigation.

Mufti Abdul Rauf is the brother and Hamad Azhar, son of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) Maulana Masood Azhar. Addressing a press conference here along with Interior Secretary Major (retd) Azam Suleman Khan, Afridi said the action was taken under the National Action Plan (NAP) and the detained persons will be interrogated. He said actions under the NAP will continue and progress will be reviewed every fortnight.

The minister said neither Pakistan’s land will be used against anyone, nor any country will be allowed to intervene into its affairs. He said the actions were being taken against all proscribed outfits without discrimination and added that the rule of law will be implemented in the new Pakistan.

Replying to a question, he said Pakistan was acting against the banned groups in its own interest and there was no pressure on it. "This is Pakistan's decision. The action will continue for two weeks. We will investigate the detained persons. Every single detail will be shared with all the stakeholders," Afridi said.

The interior secretary said in order to implement the NAP, a high-level meeting was arranged and attended by representatives of all the provincial governments.

"The action is being taken across the board and not against one or two organisations," he said, adding that in case they had to seize properties and bank accounts of any outfit, they would not hesitate.

Suleman acknowledged that some people who had been detained were named in the dossier handed by India to Pakistan on the Pulwama attack. He said Pakistan will take further action against suspects if New Delhi provided additional evidence to Islamabad. “So far India has not given evidence,” he said. “We received only some names in connection with the suicide attack.”

He said the 44 suspects detained across the country belonged to a number of groups, not just JeM. The Ministry of Interior issued a notification [S.R.O.271 (I) 2019] which said, “WHEREAS the Federal Government having reasons to believe that Jamat-ud-Dawa & Falah-i-Insanyat Foundation are owned or are being controlled, directly or indirectly, by individuals or organizations or are acting on behalf of , or under the directions of individuals or organizations proscribed under ATA, 1997.

NOW, THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 11B(1) sub-section (b) & (c) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (XXVII of 1997), the Federal Government hereby orders that Jamat-ud-Dawa & Falah-i-Insanyat Foundation to be the Proscribed Organizations for the purpose of the said Act and list the aforesaid organizations in the FIRST SCHEDULE to the said Act. [F. No. 1/11/2011-poll.1 (public).]”