 Early Times Report
Jammu, July 5: In a significant development two months after India’s precision strikes under Operation Sindoor, former Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has hinted at Islamabad’s willingness to extradite wanted terrorists to India as a confidence-building measure—provided New Delhi shows reciprocal cooperation. In an interview with Al Jazeera, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman responded to questions regarding the possible handover of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leader Masood Azhar—both designated global terrorists—by saying Pakistan would have no objection under a broader framework of dialogue with India.
“As part of a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan, where terrorism is one of the issues we discuss, I’m sure Pakistan would not be opposed to any of these things,” Bilawal stated.
According to a report in a Pakistani daily, Bhutto emphasized that both LeT and JeM are banned organizations under Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA). He noted that Hafiz Saeed is already serving a 33-year sentence for terror financing, while Masood Azhar, proscribed by both the UN and NACTA, is believed to be at large—possibly in Afghanistan.
Bilawal claimed that domestic prosecutions have been limited to Pakistan-related offenses such as terror financing, c In an interview with Al Jazeera Bhutoo responded to questions regarding the possible handover of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leader Masood Azhar—both designated global terrorists—by saying Pakistan would have no objection under a broader framework of dialogue with India.
“India is refusing to comply with certain basic elements that are essential for convictions,” he alleged, adding that testimony and evidence from Indian witnesses were necessary in Pakistani courts. “If India is willing to be cooperative in that process, I am sure there will be no hurdle in extraditing any individual of concern,” he remarked.
Commenting on India’s declared intent to eliminate terrorists beyond its borders, Bilawal expressed unease, calling the doctrine a “new abnormal.”
“This does not serve the interests of Pakistan, and it does not serve the interests of India,” he said.
When pressed on the whereabouts of the two terror masterminds, Bilawal clarified that Hafiz Saeed remains in Pakistani custody, while Islamabad believes Masood Azhar is hiding in Afghanistan. “It is factually incorrect that Hafiz Saeed is a free man,” he said. “As for Azhar, if India shares credible information that he is in Pakistan, we will be more than happy to arrest him.”
Bilawal’s remarks are being closely analyzed in New Delhi, especially in the context of Operation Sindoor, India’s assertive counter-terror offensive in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), which followed the deadly April 22 Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 civilian lives. |
