Stating the obvious

Jaish-E-MOHAMMED (JeM) chief Masood Azhar’s presence in Pakistan has been an open secret for the past almost two decades. So, there is nothing startling about Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s ‘admission’ to that effect. Slyly putting the ball in India’s court, Qureshi has stated that his government can act against Azhar only if it receives ‘solid and inalienable’ evidence that is admissible in a court of law. Days after the Pulwama terror attack, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had promised action on the condition that India furnished ‘actionable intelligence’.

The ISI-backed JeM had promptly claimed responsibility for the Pulwama massacre, which in itself should have been enough to act against that organisation. Yet, India handed over a dossier to the neighbour with details of the terror outfit’s complicity and the presence of its camps and leaders in Pakistan. While offering to hold talks regarding the dossier, Pakistan now wants proof with which it can ‘convince its people and its independent judiciary’. India does not have investigative jurisdiction in Pakistan to provide justiciable evidence. If Pakistan wants such evidence, it should allow Indian probe agencies access to Masood, his madrasas and other terror facilities. The Indian government is justified in telling Pakistan to first take concrete steps against the JeM before initiating a dialogue. Imran Khan and Co have tried to take the moral high ground by releasing IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, but a Prime Minister who launches fighter aircraft targeting a neighbour’s military facilities cannot be termed a man of peace, however well he speaks on TV.

Pakistan’s stand evokes a sense of déjà vu. India had also submitted a dossier after the 2016 Pathankot terror attack, but no action was taken against the perpetrators. Now, Pakistan finds itself cornered after the US, the UK and France moved a fresh resolution in the UN Security Council to designate Azhar as a global terrorist. China, a close friend of Pakistan and a veto-empowered member of the 15-nation council, has repeatedly scuttled attempts by India and other countries to clip Masood’s wings. If China does not want to be seen as another inimical neighbour, it should ask its friend to hand over Masood to India. This is an opportunity for China to play its rightful role in the neighbourhood, which is one of its biggest markets.