M A I N   N E W S

Jaish chief arrested

Islamabad, December 25 
Apparently under intense international pressure, the Pakistan police today arrested Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of the Pakistan based Jihad group Jaish-e-Mohammad, which had a major role in the terrorist attack on Indian Parliament.

The detention was confirmed by Major-Gen Rashid Qureshi, Director-General, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations.

According to the Editor of an Urdu daily ‘Ausaf’, Mr Hamid Mir, who spoke to Azhar, the Jaish leader was taken into custody by the police following Indian allegations of the group’s involvement in the recent terrorist attack on Indian Parliament.

Mr Mir said Azhar contacted him and informed him about his detention.

Mr Mir, who became famous after getting rare interview with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan last month before the Saudi fugitive disappeared, said Azhar had been questioned by Pakistan police officials about his activities and had been asked to keep a low profile.

This is the first time Pakistan appeared to have taken a semblance of action against Jaish after it was directly accused of involvement in the parliament attack.

The Pakistan Government also moved against another Pak-based Islamic militant outfit, Lashkar-e-Toiba and froze its assets following a similar action taken by the USA. The order of Pakistan Central Bank freezing Lashkar accounts and assets was announced yesterday.

Mr Mir, who has extensive contacts among Jehadi groups and is currently writing the biography of Bin Laden, said the chief of Harkatul Mujahideen, Fazlur Rehman Khalil, another Pak-based organisation banned by the USA, would shortly launch a political party and take to active politics. PTI