The Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik has made controversial statements during his short visit to India. Now, the opposition party BJP has raised the matter in the Parliament on Monday and demanded the UPA government to explain it.
BJP leader Yashwant Sinha raised the matter in Lok Sabha and Ravi Shankar Prasad spoke in Rajya Sabha.
Speaking in Rajya Sabha, Mr. Prasad said, “When the Indian government asked about (Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and 26/11 attack mastermind) Hafiz Saeed, he (Malik) said there is no proof and he said Abu Jundal is a spy of RAW (Research and Analysis Wing).”
Further, he said, “Above all, he raised the issue of Babri Masjid… it is interference in internal issues.” He later demanded an explanation on this from the Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.
The Indian home minister said that the Pakistan minister has been misleading India on the arrest of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and said that Mr. Rehman Malik ‘misinformed’.
Mr. Shinde said, “Mr. Rehman Malik has been telling us repeatedly he has arrested Hafiz Saeed thrice and he was let off due to lack of evidence. We had been given to understand Hafiz Saeed was arrested on charge of being involved in the 26/11 attack.”
Meanwhile, Hafiz Saeed is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and mastermind of Mumbai terror attack of 2008. Shinde said, “He said he will give FIRs and judgments of three occasions… He has given us papers on detention of Saeed and from the papers it is clear his detention was for other reasons and not for his role in Mumbai terror attack. So I can only say Mr. Rehman Malik appears to be misinformed in this case.”
He said, “I made it clear, key issue in mind of Indian public is to bring perpetrators of 26/11 to justice. I specially mentioned our investigation shown Hafiz Saeed was mastermind and Pakistan is still to take actions.”
