News Analysis |
The Punjab government has taken the control of the Madrassa and Masjid in Bahawalpur which was allegedly being used as the headquarters of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM). It was confirmed yesterday by the Punjab government. “The government of Punjab has taken over the control of a campus comprising Madrassatul Sabir and Jamia-e-Masjid Subhanallah in Bahawalpur, allegedly the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammad and appointed an administrator to manage its affairs,” said the Punjab Home Department’s spokesman in a statement. Moreover, no controversial material was found during the checking as only religious teachings were being imparted there.
It is important to mention here that after the tragic Pulwama incident India government blamed JeM and Pakistan for the killing of 40 soldiers. An allegation Pakistan has officially rejected. Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked India to provide any actionable evidence if they have and assured them that Pakistan will take the action. PM Khan also made it clear that Pakistan has been greatly affected by terrorism and there is no question of supporting terrorism or protecting their networks. “The war is not a solution. Dialogue is the only way forward. We are ready to talk about terrorism,” PM Khan urged India.
Just a day before, the NSC also decided to ban Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) led by Hafeez Saeed who is accused by India as the mastermind of Mumbai attacks.
Moreover, the Punjab Home Department’s spokesman said that action was taken in line with the decision of the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Khan. According to the spokesperson, currently, 600 students are studying at the campus, which has a faculty of 70 teachers. The Punjab police are providing security and protection to the campus, he added.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary, in his video message on Twitter, said that the government has taken the control of seminaries and will take media representatives there to show that nothing objectionable and controversial linked with Kashmir struggle is going on in those seminaries. Working on charities, these seminaries are providing religious education to students. Indian propaganda has yet again miserably failed that these education places are JeM headquarters.
https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1099030733962776576
As a matter of fact, PM Khan has been very clear about the extremism and its elimination from society. It is on the record that hate-mongering religious cleric who issued fatwas against the army general and top judges a few months ago are now behind the bars. PM has repeatedly said that his agenda is to make Pakistan an extremism-free society. Just a day before, the NSC also decided to ban Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) led by Hafeez Saeed who is accused by India as the mastermind of Mumbai attacks. India has, however, failed to provide any evidence to back her claim.
Read more: Hafiz Saeed approaches LHC to avoid possible arrest
Some analysts in Pakistan believe that the decision to take JeM headquarters into the possession of Punjab government was taken due to ongoing back-door diplomacy between Indian and Pakistan. Reliable sources confirm that India has decided not to take any irresponsible step against Pakistan which was likely to escalate the crisis but has asked Pakistan to give her some face-saving by taking action against JeM and JuD. But the most important question at the moment is that what the government in Islamabad can do when it could not find anything objectionable from JeM?