Action against Masood Azhar’s brother more protective in nature

New Delhi, Mar 06: India has termed the action against the Jaish-e-Mohammad as insufficient. It is only a preventive detention and no action was taken under the anti terrorism law, officials tell Oneindia.

The 44 members of the JeM, including its founder Masood Azhar's brother Mufti Abdul Raoof, were said to have been taken in "preventive detention for investigation" and have not been arrested under Pakistan's anti-terrorism law, a security official said.

There is every possibility that the detention could also be an attempt by the Pakistan Army to provide security to these terrorists, given the "fear psychosis" that has gripped Pakistan in the past few days following the Indian Air Force strike at Balakot, the official said.

The assessment of the security agencies came in view of the fact that founders of Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba -- Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed respectively -- were detained several times in the past, mostly under laws that provide for detention for apprehension of "breach of peace".

Azhar and Saeed have never been prosecuted under the Pakistan's Anti Terrorism Act, 1997, another official said.

According to the reports received from Pakistan, the action against JeM came in order to implement the National Action Plan of Pakistan, amid mounting pressure from the global community on Islamabad to rein in the terror groups operating from its soil.

A high-level meeting was held in Pakistan's ministry of interior on Monday and it was attended by representatives of all provincial governments of that country.

"It was decided to speed up action against all proscribed organisations. In compliance, 44 under-observation members of the proscribed organisations, including Mufti Abdul Raoof and Hamad Azhar, have been taken in preventive detention for investigation.

"These actions will continue as per the decisions taken in the National Security Committee while reviewing the National Action Plan," an official quoted the order of the Pakistan government.

Pakistan's minister of state for interior Shehryar Khan Afridi said at a press conference in Islamabad that Raoof and Hamad Azhar are among 44 people arrested during the crackdown.

Afridi said a dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week also contained names of Raoof and Azhar.

The crackdown on banned groups came amid tensions with India following a suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14 by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed terror group that killed 40 CRPF soldiers.

India handed over a dossier to Pakistan to take action against the JeM, as pressure mounted on Islamabad to take action against individual and organisation listed by the UN Security Council as terrorists.

The minister, however, said the action was not taken due to any pressure. He said action would be taken against all proscribed organisations under the National Action Plan.