The Trump administration on Friday expressed doubts over Pakistan’s intentions in arresting Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attack, saying his previous arrests made no difference either to his activities or that of his outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba.
“We’ve seen this happen in the past. And we have been looking for sustained and concrete steps, not just window dressing,” a senior administration official told reporters Friday, ahead of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to the US next week.
Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist, was arrested on Wednesday — the seventh time since December 2001, when he was nabbed in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attack on the Indian parliament.
“Let me reassure you, we are clear eyed about the history here. We’re under no illusions about the support that we could see from Pakistan’s military intelligence services to these groups. So we will look for concrete action,” the official said when asked about the actions that Pakistan has taken against terrorist group and if the US believes in them.
“I noticed that Pakistan has taken some initial steps such as pledging to seize assets of some of these terrorist groups. And, of course, they put under arrest yesterday Hafiz Muhammed Saeed, the leader of Lashkar-e-Toiba which is responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks,” said the official requesting anonymity.
