China wants Pakistan to relocate 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed to West Asian country

China wanted Pakistan to relocate 26/11 mastermind and global terrorist Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country, according to the The Hindu. This suggestion comes amid mounting international pressure to act against the terrorist.

Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested this course of action allowing Saeed to live a quiet life in a West Asian country to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China last month.

"At a 35-minute meeting, at least 10 minutes of the discussion dealt with Saeed. The Chinese President was keen on pressing the Prime Minister to find an early solution to keep Saeed away from the limelight," a close aide of Abbasi told The Hindu.

Meanwhile, the JuD has been accusing the government of taking action against Saeed at the instance of the US and India.

Saeed, who has been declared a global terrorist by the United Nations, the U.S. and India, carries a reward of $5 million on his head for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Pakistani authorities last year put him under house arrest for almost nine months but were forced to release him on the orders of the Lahore High Court.

Earlier this year, the JuD was put on the list of banned organisations just before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in Paris. Following the meeting, it was decided to put Pakistan on the grey list for its failure to prevent terror financing.

However, China dismissed as "shocking" and "baseless" a media report saying President Xi Jinping has asked Pakistan to explore ways to relocate terror outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country amid rising international pressure to act against him for his links with terror.