Will Pakistan extradite LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, JeM head Masood Azhar to India? Will it use ploy to corner New Delhi?

Can Pakistan hand over Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as promised by former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari? Is the government, supported by his party, serious about this issue? Or is it just a PR stunt to grab the attention of the world leaders and hold India responsible for the impasse in India-Pakistan relations and increased tension between the two nuclear-powered nations?

Will Pakistan hand over Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar?

Bilawal Bhutto set the ball rolling and shocked many people in India when he expressed the hope that Islamabad "would not be opposed" to the extradition of these Pakistan-based terrorists. He said, "As part of a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan, where terrorism is one of the issues that we discuss, I am sure Pakistan would not be opposed to any of these things." The 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind, Hafiz Saeed, is currently serving a 33-year jail sentence for terror financing, while Masood Azhar, a UN-designated global terrorist, has been banned. 

Masood Azhar has been held responsible for many major attacks in India, including the 26/11 attacks, the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot airbase strike, and the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. The BJP-led Atal Bihari Vajpayee government released Azhar from custody in 1999 as part of a hostage swap deal during the Flight 814 Kandahar hijack.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari exposes Pakistan

However, the real intentions of Bilawal Bhutto become clear if one understands what he has said on this issue. “It’s important … to present evidence within these courts, for people to come over from India to testify, to put up with whatever the counter-accusations will be," said Bilawal. India has shared a huge volume of dossiers containing papers, electronic and legal evidence with the Pakistan government since the 26/11 attack. Pakistan did not take any action. It took action against Hafiz Saeed and banned the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) only under the pressure of the FATF. Islamabad was put on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force and faced the threat of being pushed into the black list. Many analysts believe that Pakistan's actions are nothing but an eyewash and a way to hoodwink the FATF. 

It is clear by the statement of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who said, "India is refusing to comply with certain basic elements that require that conviction to take place." It is clear that he wants to put the onus on India and hold it responsible, instead of his own government. Bilawal Bhutto has exposed Pakistan and the Shehbaz Sharif government. Pakistan appears to have no intention of extraditing its terrorists. Islamabad's intention was also exposed when it attacked Indian defence establishments after the IAF bombed terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, PoK, during the four-day military clashes Operation Sindoor.