India alleges arrest of another Pakistani in India-held Kashmir

Published August 31, 2015
Sajjad is allegedly the second Pakistani terrorist to be captured this month by Indian forces. —Reuters/file
Sajjad is allegedly the second Pakistani terrorist to be captured this month by Indian forces. —Reuters/file

Indian authorities have claimed the arrest of a terrorist who they allege belongs to Pakistan and was sent to India-held Kashmir to setup a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) camp in the area, according to a report published on the Hindustan Times website.

The reports claims that Assad Ahmed, cousin of an alleged Pakistan-trained suspect who was arrested last week in India-held Kashmir, had told the Hindustan Times that the arrested man Sajjad is of Pakistani descent.

Indian media channels showed images of a man carrying an AK-47 rifle at the entrance of a cave in India-held Kashmir, whom they have identified as Sajjad Ahmed also known as Jawed Ahmed, and claimed that the arrested terrorist had confessed that he was a resident of Pakistan's Muzzaffargarh district.

The Hindustan Times quoted Assad, a security guard in Karachi, as saying: “yes, I am the brother of Sajjad Ahmed. We read about his arrest in Indian-held Kashmir in a local daily”.

Assad's statements pertaining to Sajjad's father allegedly matched those of Sajjad himself when he spoke to army interrogators. “Yes, his father’s name is Faiz Baksh and he is a resident of Muzaffargarh,” he said.

Sajjad is allegedly the second suspect captured by Indian forces this month whom they allege has been sent from Pakistan.

The arrests come at a time when National Security Adviser (NSA) level talks between Pakistan and India have been suspended amid frequent exchanges of fire between border troops of the two nuclear-armed neighbours, which have claimed the lives of several civilians on both sides of the border.

The latest development also follows the arrest of several suspects in Karachi and Lahore whom security and intelligence agencies claim to have links to India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) spy agency.

On August 5, Indian security forces captured Mohammad Naveed in Udhampur district after he was allegedly overpowered by two villagers he had taken as hostage. Naveed and an accomplice had allegedly killed two Indian border guards after an ambush on a Border Security Force (BSF) convoy.

Earlier this month, Pakistan had said that India should provide proof of any Pakistani found involved in terrorist activity on Indian soil, according to a statement issued by Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Syed Qazi Khalilullah.

Take a look: India should provide proof of any Pakistani involved in terrorism: FO

The Pakistani statement was a reply to an Indian claim, in which they alleged that Usman Faisal, was captured after a deadly attack on a military convoy in the disputed Kashmir region, and was a Pakistani.

Qazi Khalilullah had said that the Indian claim was baseless and further said, "We have repeatedly asked India to refrain from such accusations."

Muslim-majority Kashmir is divided and administered separately by India and Pakistan but claimed in full by both. The two countries have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over Kashmir.

Explore more: LoC: Old narratives fighting new wars for survival

A 2003 cease-fire largely has held despite small, but regular, skirmishes.

Rebel groups have been fighting Indian rule in Kashmir since 1989. More than 68,000 people have been killed in the fighting and the subsequent Indian military crackdown. New Delhi has for years accused Pakistan of backing separatist Muslim militants in India-held Kashmir.

On the other hand, successive governments in Pakistan have pointed towards Indian involvement in terrorism, more particularly in Balochistan and the northwestern tribal areas.

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