India’s to-do list to Pak: Give us Dawood, Syed

Says handover of Indians on Pak soil would demonstrate seriousness

NEW DELHI: Pakistan can demonstrate that it is serious about cracking down on terror by handing over proscribed Indian nationals based on its soil,like Dawood Ibrahim and Syed Salahuddin, as all actions taken so far by Islamabad have been cosmetic, people familiar with the Indian government’s thinking said on Saturday.

At the same time, India is prepared for the long haul on the effort to get Jaish-e-mohammed (JEM) chief Masood Azhar listed as a “global terrorist” by the UN’S Islamic State and al-qaeda Sanctions Committee, despite being disappointed with the hold placed by China on the latest effort by France, the US and Britain to sanction him, the people said on condition of anonymity.

It is still not clear exactly who has been placed in preventive detention by Pakistan in the face of global pressure following the February 14 Pulwama suicide bombing that was claimed by JEM, and Islamabad could show it is serious about reining in terror by handing over Indians wanted for terrorism and major crimes based on its soil, including mob boss Ibrahim and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Salahuddin, they added.

Indian officials say Ibrahim, designated a global terrorist by the United States and the United Nations and wanted for the 1993 Mumbai bombings that killed 257 people, lives in the port town of Karachi. Salahuddin, also a designated global terrorist, operates

from bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Rawalpindi.

The people further said Pakistan can work with third countries for international verification of terrorist camps on Pakistani soil, whose precise coordinates have been shared by India.

They described all the action taken by Pakistan since it launched a crackdown on March 5 as cosmetic, with authorities only changing the signs outside facilities run by groups such as Jamaat-ud-dawah and Falah-einsaniyat Foundation, both fronts of Lashkar-e-taiba, and appointing so-called administrators.

While expressing disappointment with China’s hold on the latest move to sanction Azhar, the

people said this was not a block and India is cautiously confident that the JEM chief will eventually be listed by the UN Security Council. India will be patient because even China is aware that terrorism originates from Pakistan and there are terror groups on Pakistani soil working against Chinese interests, they added.

The support for listing Azhar from all but one of the 15 members of the UN Security Council also reflected Pakistan’s lack of credibility, and India will not make any compromises or cut any deal for the sanctioning of the JEM chief, said a person familiar with the negotiations on this matter. India is hopeful that the listing will eventually go ahead in days or months, and not years, the person added.