Pakistan takes U-turn on Bahawalpur seminary’s connection with Jaish-e-Mohammad

The Pakistan government on Saturday dismissed its own claim that it had taken over the control of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) headquarters and said the complex has no link with the terror outfit, which claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Pulwama that killed nearly 40 CRPF soldiers.

In a video message on social media, Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry clarified that the Punjab government took administrative control of Madressatul Sabir and Jamia-e-Masjid Subhanallah in Bahawalpur in line with the decisions taken during the National Security Council (NSC) meeting held on Thursday and as part of the National Action Plan (NAP), Pakistan Today reported.

“Today [Friday] control of a madrassa in Bahawalpur was taken over by the Punjab government,” he explained, adding that the madrassa was at the “centre of Indian propaganda”.

“This is the madrassah that India was doing propaganda over and alleging that it is the headquarters of JeM,” he added.

Fawad Chaudhry said that the Punjab government has taken the administrative charge of the madrassa and accused India of “leveling baseless allegations contrary to reality” in the matter.

On Friday, the minister had told news agency PTI that the Punjab government has “taken over the control of the Jaish headquarters in Bahawalpur”, about 400 km from Lahore. It was the first time Pakistan acknowledged that.

On Thursday night, the United Nations Security Council, including Pakistan’s key ally China, named JeM in a statement and condemned in the “strongest terms” the “heinous and cowardly” terror attack perpetrated by the outfit in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir.