New Delhi: Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday admitted that Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who has masterminded several terror attacks in India, is in the country, but claimed that he was really unwell and not in a position to even leave his house. In an interview with the CNN, Qureshi said that for the Pakistani authorities to arrest Azhar, India would first have to hand over proof that is “acceptable in Pakistani courts.” Masood Azhar’s JeM has been behind the attack on the Parliament House in 2001, the Pathankot air force base attack of 2016, the terror strike on army camps in Jammu and Uri in 2016, and the latest suicide attack on CRPF in Pulwama, which escalated the tensions between the two nations. India had on Wednesday handed over a dossier to Pakistan on Jaish’s role in the Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed, detailing the terror camps operating in Pakistan and the route taken by terrorists from Balakot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to Jammu and Kashmir to mount attacks. “If they (India) have good solid evidence, please sit and talk, please have dialogue and we will be reasonable,” he said. The Indian Air Force had on Tuesday carried out a “pre-emptive, non-military” strike on the JeM camp in Balakot, which was being run by Maulana Yusuf Azhar, the brother-in-law of Masood Azhar, after Pakistan failed to act against terrorists operating from its soil, the government said. In a significant shift of tone, Qureshi also said Pakistan will welcome any step that leads to de-escalation of tensions with India when asked about the designation of Azhar as a global terrorist by the United Nations Security Council. The global terrorist tag will subject the JeM chief to a global travel ban, asset freeze and an arms embargo. The US, the UK and France moved a fresh proposal in the UN Security Council to designate Azhar as a global terrorist, but China has remained non-commital on whether it would back the resolution, despite global pressure. This is the fourth such bid at the UN in the last 10 years to list Azhar as a global terrorist. All three previous bids were vetoed by China. The Security Council Sanctions Committee will have 10 working days to consider the fresh proposal submitted by the three members. China, a close ally of Pakistan, has consistently blocked moves first by India and later by the US, the UK and France to designate Azhar as a global terrorist by the 1267 Committee by putting technical holds.<doc-sep>Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has confirmed that Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar is in the country. The minister said Masood Azhar is "unwell to an extent that he cannot leave the house" while speaking to CNN. "According to my information, he is very unwell. He is unwell to the extent that he can't leave his house, because he's really unwell," he said. The development comes at a time when diplomatic pressure is mounting on Pakistan over terror groups operating on its soil. India and US have been critical of Pakistan's shielding of Azhar. Terror organisation Jaish has carried out multiple attacks on India in over two decades, including the recent suicide bombing in Pulwama which claimed the life of 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers. India has been trying hard on the global stage to brand his as a terrorist as the United Nations Security Council but China has been blocking India's attempts. Show evidence, we will take action Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi also said that Pakistan is ready to take action against Azhar if there is evidence that can "stand in a court of law". "If they (India) have solid, inalienable evidence that is acceptable to courts of Pakistan, share it with us so that we can convince the people and we can convince the independent judiciary of Pakistan," he said. Qureshi went on to add that the release of captured Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman is a gesture of peace and should be seen as Pakistan's willingness to de-escalate tension between New Delhi and Islamabad. However, cross-border violation and terrorism continue to act as a menace in the Kashmir Valley. On Friday, a civilian was injured due to cross-border firing by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC).<doc-sep>Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has admitted that Masood Azhar, the chief of terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, is in Pakistan. “He (Masood Azhar) is in Pakistan. According to my information, he is very unwell. He’s unwell to the extent that he cannot leave his house because he is really unwell. So, that’s the information I have,” Qureshi told CNN in an interview. The Pakistan foreign minister’s comments came as France, the UK and the US have launched a fresh bid at the UN to list Masood Azhar, founder of the Jaish that took responsibility for the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, as a global terrorist though China remained non-committal on backing the move. Watch: Parents of IAF pilot Abhinandan get standing ovation in flight Qureshi claimed that Pakistan will take action against the Jaish chief if India provides “solid, inalienable evidence” .“If they give us evidence which is acceptable to the courts of Pakistan… after all we will have to justify they will go to the court. If they have solid, inalienable evidence, share it with us so that we can convince the independent judiciary of Pakistan,” he said. Also read: China non-committal as push renews for terror tag on Jaish chief Masood Azhar France is leading the latest and fourth attempt to put Azhar on the blacklist of UN’s 1267 Committee that already includes the JeM, which he founded after being freed by India in 1999 in exchange for passengers of an Air India flight hijacked to Kandahar. Three previous attempts were blocked by China, which cited the rules under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 and lack of evidence and consensus. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson was non-committal when asked whether Beijing will block the latest move to list Azhar. Qureshi said that Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s decision to free Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was a “goodwill gesture” and an expression of Pakistan’s “willingness to de-escalate”. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced on Thursday that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman will be freed on Friday after New Delhi sought his unconditional, immediate and unharmed release signalling a de-escalation in the spiralling tension with New Delhi. Also read: IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman to come home today, hundreds at Wagah to welcome him Imran Khan’s announcement also came amid pressure from New Delhi and other countries to act against terror emanating from his country. The 35-year-old Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was flying the MiG-21 Bison that shot down the PAF F-16 in the aerial engagement with Pakistan on Wednesday morning. The IAF pilot will be brought by Pakistani authorities from Rawalpindi to Lahore and handed over first to the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) under rules of the Geneva Convention before being brought to the Wagah check post to return home.<doc-sep>Azhar (With inputs from PTI) NEW DELHI: Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said that Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar is in Pakistan and he will only be arrested if India provides evidence which is acceptable to courts.In an interview to CNN, Qureshi said that Masood Azhar is unwell and cannot even leave his house. "He is in Pakistan, according to my information. He is very unwell. He is unwell to the extent that he cannot leave his house because he is very unwell," Qureshi told CNN while replying to question if Pakistan's government will go after the JeM chief Qureshi's remarks came amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the February 14 terror attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pulwama that left 40 CRPF personnel dead.India has handed over a dossier to Pakistan with "specific details of the JeM complicity in Pulwama terror attack and the presence of JeM terror camps and its leadership in Pakistan. "India also expressed regret at the denial by Pakistan's political and military leadership at the presence of terrorist infrastructure in territories under its control.When asked why Azhar not being arrested even after Pakistan admitting that JeM is a terrorist organisation and he is its chief, Qureshi said that Azhar will only be arrested if India give evidence, which is acceptable to the courts of Pakistan.On the question of India's accusations against Azhar, Qureshi said that a legal process needs to be followed for an action against Azhar.Qureshi also said that his country will not allow an organisation or an individual to use their soil against India. "We will be open to any steps that leads to de-escalation and if they have good solid evidence," he said. "Please sit and talk. Initiate a dialogue," he added.is the chief of JeM that claimed responsibility for the February 14 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. India has been repeatedly trying to list him as a "global terrorist" by the UN. However, China, an ally of Pakistan, has blocked India's efforts by using veto.<doc-sep>
Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar. (File) Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar. (File) Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi admitted that Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan and that he is “unwell to an extent that he cannot leave his house.” In an interaction with CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, Qureshi said, “Azhar is in Pakistan. According to my information, he is very unwell. He is unwell to the extent that he can’t leave his house, because he’s really unwell.” Masood Azhar is the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad – the organisation that has carried out multiple attacks on India over the last nearly two decades, including the recent Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF officers. India has been repeatedly trying to list him as a “global terrorist” at the United Nations Security Council. However, China has single-handedly blocked all attempts of India. Qureshi also said that Pakistan will take action against him if presented with “evidence that can stand in a court of law.” “If they have solid, inalienable evidence that is acceptable to courts of Pakistan, share it with us so that we can convince the people and we can convince the independent judiciary of Pakistan,” the foreign minister said, adding that there is a “need to satisfy the legal process.” Read | India’s dossier to Pakistan has info on JeM link to Pulwama attack During the interaction, Qureshi also added that the release of captured IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman is a “peace gesture” and must be seen as Pakistan’s “willingness to de-escalate.” Varthaman, who in Pakistan’s custody since Wednesday is likely to be released along Wagah border today. Read: In Pak, Azhar under ‘protective custody’. No such check on funds India had started pushing for Azhar’s listing since 2008-09, after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The most recent effort began after India blamed JeM for the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot on January 2, 2016, and proposed a month later to designate Azhar as a global terrorist. The United States, United Kingdom and France have now moved a fresh proposal against Azhar. If the proposal is passed at the UNSC, Azhar will be tagged as a ‘UN-designated global terrorist’, which in turn would subject him to a global travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo. Read | Balakot: A 6-acre training camp for 600 terror recruits, run by Masood Azhar’s kin Amid the rising tensions between the two countries, India has handed over a dossier to Pakistan with “specific details of JeM complicity in Pulwama terror attack and the presence of JeM terror camps and its leadership in Pakistan.” It also contains details of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar’s anti-India speeches and claims of attacks by Jaish on security forces in the past two years, official sources said. Besides Pulwama, India also presented nine specific instances when JeM conducted rallies and religious congregations in Pakistan “right under the nose of the Pakistan government” to indoctrinate and recruit men by instigating them against India.