Islamabad: Pakistan will not allow its soil to be used for terrorism against any state, including India, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Saturday as he claimed that the “nerve centre” of the Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group has been taken over by the government.
India on Wednesday handed over to Pakistan a dossier on “specific details” of involvement of the JeM in the Pulwama terror attack on CRPF as also the presence of camps of the UN-proscribed terror outfit in that country.
“India submitted its dossier…, if India wants to conduct talks on this, then we are ready for it,” Qureshi said.
He said that there is a new government with a new mindset and a new approach in Pakistan and its policies are very clear. “We will not allow Pakistani soil to be used by any group or any organisation for terrorist activities against any state, including India,” Qureshi was quoted as saying by the BBC.
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.
The JeM claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Qureshi said that there was “still confusion” over whether the JeM had claimed responsibility for the attack or not.
“The confusion is (that) the leadership (of JeM) when contacted, said no,” he said.
“They have denied that, that’s the confusion.”
When questioned who contacted the JeM leadership, Qureshi said, “people over here, and the people who are known to them.”
In a separate interview to CNN, Qureshi earlier admitted that JeM chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan and is “very unwell”, but said the government can act against him only if India presents “solid” and “inalienable” evidence. (PTI)
