Acting upon evidence presented by India, authorities in Pakistan have detained members of banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad in Pakistan. The Pakistani authorities have also sealed their offices while further investigation is underway.
Initial reports from the Indian side indicated that banned militant outfit Jaish E Mohammed was alleged to be behind the Pathankot attacks. 7 Indian nationals and 6 terrorists died in the attack on Pathankot air base in India.
Following the attack, Indian authorities handed over evidence to the Pakistani authorities alleging that Jaish-e-Mohammad was behind this terror attack. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had phoned his Pakistani counterpart - Nawaz Sharif asking him to take prompt and decisive action based on the evidence provided.
Even as Pakistani authorities detain members of this banned outfit and seal their offices, here are some important facts about Jaish-E-Mohammad and its leader - Maulana Masood Azhar.
1. Founder of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Maulana Masood Azhar, was one of the prisoners released by the Indian government in 1999, in exchange of passengers of Indian Airlines flight IC 814, that was hijacked and taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan.
2. Maulana Masood Azhar, belonged to the group Harkat-ul-Muhajideen (another militant organisation) before his arrest by the Indian authorities.
3. In 1999, Indian Airlines flight IC 814 was hijacked on its way from Kathmandu to Delhi. The hijacked plane was taken to Kandahar, in Afghanistan. Azhar, along with two other accomplices, was freed by the Indian government in exchange of 155 passengers of this hijacked plane. Masood settled Pakistan post his release and thats where he formed 'Jaish-e-Mohammad' in 2000. Jaish-e-Mohammad means Army of Muhammad.
A Taliban soldier hands over a bottle of locally filled water to someone inside the hijacked Indian Airlines plane Tuesday, Dec. 28, 1999 at the Kandahar airport in Afghanistan. Source: AP
4. Jaish-e-Mohammad was accused of planning and executing the Indian Parliament Attack in 2001. 4 JeM members of the outfit were arrested, convicted and the most known convict Afzal Guru was sentenced to death by an Indian court.
5. In 2002, Jaish-e-Mohammad members were linked to the attacks carried out on then Pakistani President, General Pervez Musharraf. Following which, Jaish-e-Mohammad was declared a banned terror organisation in Pakistan.
Jaish-e-Mohammad, after lying low for years, now seems to have made a come back with the attack on the Pathankot airbase in India. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's office has issued a statement post the detention of members of the JeM and sealing of their offices. Here's the statement as it appeared on NDTV Website.
Source: NDTV
