Newsroom24x7 Desk

Lahore : Punjab province, which happens to be Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s power base, and which also happens to be the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammad, has been witnessing activity akin to search operations, clamping down of JeM sponsored educational institutions and recovering documents from such places. The crackdown in Punjab province, the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammad, follows the arrest this week of several members of the militant group, topping the list being its leader, Maulana Masood Azhar, an Islamist hardliner and long-time foe of India.

Pakistan is claiming that it has activated the routines required for executing clamping down on Maulana Masood Azhar’s group. Also, investigations related to India’s assertions over 2 January attack on the Pathankot air base are on the activity list, as claimed by Pakistan. India had clearly detailed out how the Pathankot attack was the work of the Pakistan-based militants.

Provincial Law Minister, Rana Sanaullah, today informed Reuters that Pakistani authorities have shut down several religious schools run by the Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group accused of masterminding an attack this month on an air base in India. Claiming that Pakistan is clamping down on Azhar’s group, which India has long accused Pakistani authorities of tolerating, the Law Minister said — Officials of the Counter-Terrorism Department raided the Jamiatul Nur seminary in the Daska area on Thursday and arrested more than a dozen people. The seminary has been sealed off and documents and literature have been confiscated from the premises.

Sanaullah added that several other offices and seminaries run by Jaish-e-Mohammad had also been raided and shut down, with many of its staff arrested. He declined to share further details. In a TV interview on Thursday, Sanaullah confirmed that Azhar had been taken into ‘protective custody. He went ahead to say that legal action would be taken against him if his involvement in the Pathankot attack was proved beyond doubt.