Pakistan 'arrests' Pathankot 'mastermind' Masood Azhar. Twitter sceptical
In a move that has upped the hopes for foreign secretary level talks between New Delhi and Islamabad, Pakistan has detained Maulana Masood Azhar, chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), according to Geo News.
#PathankotAttack mastermind Maulana Masood Azhar detained in Pakistan #ITVideo https://t.co/QA2iuIM9lr
— India Today (@IndiaToday) January 13, 2016It is a bold and sincere decision Pak has taken: Aziz Ahmed Khan, Ex-Pak envoy on Masood Azhar's arrest #TTP
— India Today (@IndiaToday) January 13, 2016Masood's arrest clears the road for Foreign Secretary- level talks. This is a concrete step: Kanwal Sibal, Ex- Foreign Secy #TTP
— India Today (@IndiaToday) January 13, 2016Media reports in Pakistan say that Masood Azhar, along with his brother Abdul Rauf and a few others, have been taken into "protective custody" by authorities over their suspected role in the recent Pathankot airbase terror attack, one of the fiercest and baffling assaults on the Indian state since 26/11.
Action taken against Masood Azhar is welcoming & it paves way for FS level talks:@svaradarajan #TTP #PathankotAttack https://t.co/2jNY5EFUi5
— India Today (@IndiaToday) January 13, 2016It is not exactly clear if Azhar has been arrested or simply detained for questioning, with conflicting reports pouring in from all quarters of Pakistani media.
So far no case registered against `terrorist' Masud Azhar & others in connection with the Pathankot terror attack. Breaking on @IndiaToday
— GAURAV C SAWANT (@gauravcsawant) January 13, 2016The kind of detention Maulana Masood Azhar appears to be under has earlier been applied on: 1. Hafiz Mohammad Saeed 2. Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) January 13, 2016Masood Azhar under 'protective custody': hope that doesn't mean he gets biryani and kebabs for dinner!????
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) January 13, 2016The detention of Azhar has come barely two days before the high-level talks between dignitaries from India and Pakistan, with uncertainties still hanging over the issue. Islamabad has also claimed that it has "sealed" the offices of the banned group JeM operating across the country. Once again, exactly how a supposedly outlawed group can continue to network in Pakistan is being questioned in both mainstream and social media.
If Pakistan has detained Masood Azhar, it is the first step to show they are serious on terror. Should have happened years ago, of course!
— Vikram Chandra (@vikramchandra) January 13, 2016The arrest of Masood Azhar, is being projected by out TRP driven media as a great victory for India. In fact it is nothing but a drama.
— Markandey Katju (@mkatju) January 13, 2016I'll resort to some default skepticism and assume JeM's Masood Azhar won't be in protective custody for long. He's a rather critical asset.
— Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) January 13, 2016Will the banned organisation whose offices have been sealed be allowed operate after renaming itself, or after opening new unsealed offices?
— Nitin Pai (@acorn) January 13, 2016Azhar's detention comes after Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif promised cooperation and swift action in the Pathankot attack investigations, with non-denial of Pakistan's hand (at least its non-state actors' involvement) being appreciated for its novelty.
#JeM is potentially easier to take action against, as there were already some restrictions in place on Masood Azhar. #LeT and Hafiz Saeed...
— omar hamid (@omarshamid) January 13, 2016In the wake of Pathankot attack, an audio file was released by JeM that lampooned India for its inability to prevent the incident and also said the site of attack would look like "heaven".
So JeM honcho Masood Azhar detained... Well done, Pakistan When will he be arrested, interrogated and locked up? Aur phir bail?
— Mehr Tarar (@MehrTarar) January 13, 2016Absolutely nothing short of handing Maulana Masood Azhar over to India is acceptable. Anything less is more of the same.
— IndiaSpeaks (@IndiaSpeaksPR) January 13, 2016we want extradition of Hafiz saeed, Dawood, Masood Azhar etc but will we be able to sentence them? Abu Salem to hua nahin, yeh kaise honge?
— sushant sareen (@sushantsareen) January 13, 2016