In a press conference on Tuesday, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Khan Afridi announced that 44 members of banned organisations were detained in a crackdown on terror. Among those arrested were Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar’s brother Mufti Abdul Rauf and son Hammad Azhar.
The 44 members of ‘proscribed organisations’ were taken into preventive detention for investigation. In the press conference, the minister admitted that the names of Masood Azhar’s brother and son were in the dossier shared by India with Pakistan last week. “As Prime Minister Imran Khan has always said, if you give us evidence, we will take action,” he said, clarifying that if there is enough evidence against the detainees, they will be proceeded against.
Afridi also said that the crackdown is not a result of mounting pressure on Pakistan. “These actions will continue as per the decisions taken in National Security Committee, while reviewing National Action Plan, a ministry release read.
Pakistan on Monday had promulgated a law to streamline the procedure for implementation of UN sanctions against individuals and organisations, amid growing pressure on the country to take action against terror groups operating on its soil.