Pakistan places Jaish-e-Mohammad leader under house arrest

Lahore: Pakistani authorities have placed restrictions on the movement of Maulana Masood Azhar, the chief of the outlawed Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), by confining him to his multi-storeyed home in Bahawalpur.

Indian television channel NDTV reportes that Masood Azhar's activities have been restricted in the wake of the Indian government's recent demand to hand him over to New Delhi.

The Pakistan government on Monday turned down India's demand to hand over Azhar, Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon. However, the Pakistan Army has launched an operation against banned militant groups. Lashker-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhwi is among over 20 militants arrested during the crackdown.

India sought the arrest and extradition of Masood Azhar while citing a 1989 agreement signed by the director-general of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the director-general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) which binds both the agencies to collaborate to trace out most wanted terrorists.

Azhar is wanted by the Indian CBI for his alleged involvement in the 2001 attacks on Indian parliament which brought the South Asian neighbours to the brink of war.

It is not for the first time that his movements have been restricted by the Pakistani authorities. Azhar had been serving time in an Indian jail for Kashmir-related militancy but had to be released by the Indian government in 2000 in exchange for passengers of an Indian airplane which had been hijacked.

Soon after his release, he discarded the Harkatul Mujahideen (HuM) to launch the Jaish-e-Mohammad.