India asks Pakistan to clarify whereabout of militant group chief

Source: Xinhua | 02-21-2009 14:14

NEW DELHI, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- India has asked Pakistan to clarify the whereabout of the chief of a prominent Muslim militant group who is suspected to be one of the alleged masterminds behind the Mumbai terror attacks last November.

"We were told he (Masood Azhar, chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad group) is under house arrest. Thereafter, we were told he is not visible. I do not understand if somebody is not visible, how could he be under house arrest," Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told local media Friday in reaction to Pakistan's claim that Azhar was not in Pakistan.

Pakistani Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar recently told an Indian TV news channel that Azhar had been put under house arrest in Pakistan. But, a couple of days later, the country's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Azhar was not in Pakistan.

Jaish-e-Mohammad was formed in 1994 with its primary goal being to separate Kashmir from India. It is regarded as a terrorist organization by several countries including India, the United States and Britain.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei