Islamabad: In a startling admission, a senior minister in Pakistan’s Punjab province has said the government cannot take legal action against militant groups like Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) as the ‘state itself remained involved’ with them.
“By pro-establishment groups if you mean JuD and JeM, then let me tell you that they have been declared proscribed organisations and they can no longer carry out any activity in the province,” Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said when asked why legal action has never been taken against anti-India groups in the province which were close to the ‘establishment’.
The minister ruled out the possibility of any legal action against the groups saying, “How can you prosecute a group with whom the state itself has been involved with?”.
India accuses Pakistan of patronising terror groups like JuD and JeM who carry out attacks in the country. Pakistan, however, denies the charge calling them ‘non-state actors’ who are not in its control.
India has urged Pakistan to hand over JeM chief Masood Azhar, who it has claimed is the mastermind of Pathankot terror attack that left seven Indian security men killed. JuD chief Hafiz Sayeed is the most wanted terrorist in India. He is believed to be the mastermind behind the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks that left over 160 people dead, including many foreign nationals.
The candid admission by Sanaullah about the Pakistani state’s past ties with JuD and JeM may increase international pressure on the country to act against all militants groups including the Haqqani network active in Afghanistan.
Refuting allegations that raids and operations against extremist elements are not conducted in Punjab as they are in other provinces, the minister said more people were arrested and prosecuted in Punjab than any other province.
“More suspects have been arrested and prosecuted in Punjab than any other province. This is why the law and order situation in the province is better than the rest of the country,” he said.
Refusing to give a time-frame for the ongoing operation in the province, Sanaullah said, “The operation will continue until terrorist havens are eliminated and that may take a few years to complete.”
With PTI Inputs
