Pakistan’s claim of having nabbed Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Sajid Mir is nothing but a cosmetic step to escape the Financial Action Task Force grey list.
Sajid Mir, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack handler who was declared dead long ago, has been arrested as claimed by Pakistan, reports from Paris and New Delhi said.
Strangely, Pakistan has said that Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar, who is enjoying the patronage of the Pakistani establishment in his den Bahawalpur, is untraceable.
The claims by Islamabad come at a time when it is trying hard to escape the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The anti-terror watchdog has said that Pakistan will be removed from the grey list if the onsite inspection to verify whether steps taken by it to curb terror financing and money laundering are ‘sustainable’ and ‘irreversible’.
In 2020, Hindustan Times had reported the whereabouts of Sajid Mir, who had directed the Lashkar terrorists to take a head shot at the Holtzberg couple at Chabad House during the 26/11 attacks. Mir, the handler of David Coleman Headley, was said to be enjoying the protection of ISI either in Rawalpindi or Lahore. He expanded the terror group’s reach across three continents, and plotted terror attacks in Australia, Virginia in the United States and France.
It is believed that Mir has level seven protection, the security cover normally accorded to the heads of the state by the ISI. He even underwent plastic surgery after the 26/11 attacks.
As far as Masood Azhar is concerned, the Pulwama attack plotter continues to remain in Bahawalpur. He was declared a global terrorist in 2019 after much delay with China blocking his designation by the United Nations Security Council.
Less time to read?
Try Quickreads
-
Pakistan prepares to play spoiler in India-Afghan ties again
Caught unawares by India sending an official delegation to Kabul for resumption of bilateral ties with the ruling Taliban, Pakistan has decided to play a spoilsport by directing its diplomatic missions abroad to point out alleged contradictions between India and the Islamic Emirate.
-
Afghanistan quake: 1,150 dead, 3,000 homes destroyed, 118,000 children affected
The death toll from Wednesday’s earthquake in Afghanistan has risen to 1,150 and over 3,000 homes have been destroyed, the Associated Press reported citing data from state-run media. The Bakhtar News Agency said Friday the toll had climbed from previous reports of 1,000 killed and that at least 1,600 people had been injured in the 6.0 magnitude earthquake. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates 770 deaths.
-
‘And tonight, we acted’: US Prez Biden as Senate OKs historic gun control bill
The Senate late Thursday approved a bipartisan bill with a narrow package of new firearms restrictions and billions of dollars in mental health and school security funding. United States president Joe Biden said the legislation would help protect children in schools and make communities safer and called on the House to ‘send it to my desk’. The House of Representatives, the lower body in the US legislative structure, is expected to quickly begin consideration of the bill, NPR reported.
-
Canada: Tributes paid to victims on 37th anniversary of Kanishka aircraft bombing
A moment of silence was observed in the House of Commons, flags were flown at half-mast at several places in the country, and tributes were paid to the victims by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and in the House of Commons as Canada marked the 37th anniversary of the bombing of Air India flight 182, the Kanishka, by Khalistani terrorists on June 23, 1985, claiming the lives of 329 passengers and crew members.
-
Ukraine war enters 5th month | Russia plans to block supply routes: 10 points
As the Russia-Ukraine war entered its fifth month on Friday, Ukraine was formally accepted as a candidate for European Union membership in a morale boost for the war-torn nation as Moscow’s assaults wear down the defenders of cities in the eastern Donbas region. Here are top 10 updates on Russia-Ukraine War 1. The European Union leaders granted Ukraine the status of ‘official candidate’ to join their 27-nation club.