Pakistan Arrests Hafiz Muhammad Saeed Amid Ongoing Crisis with India

Strategic Insights -

Pakistan took a desperate measure to avert war with India, arresting Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the founder of the Army of the Pure, an Islamic militant group accused of plotting the Indian Parliament attack. The move came after India failed to be mollified by previous steps, including the freezing of the group's bank accounts and the arrest of its leader, Maulana Masood Azhar. Meanwhile, India continued to push for additional measures, such as the suppression of the group and the handover of its leaders for trial.

Key Takeaways:

  • Pakistan arrested Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, founder of the Army of the Pure, on charges of inciting law and order through inflammatory speeches. The move was reportedly aimed at defusing the crisis with India.
  • The arrest was not publicly announced and could not be immediately confirmed, but Pakistani officials hinted that the country's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, was ready to take bolder steps to crack down on the Army of the Pure.
  • Pakistan had previously frozen the bank accounts of both the Army of the Pure and the Army of Muhammad, as well as arrested Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of the Army of Muhammad.
  • India continued to push for additional measures, including the suppression of the Army of the Pure and the handover of its leaders for trial, despite Pakistan's previous steps.
  • The State Department added the Army of the Pure to its list of banned terrorist organizations, and the United States declared a charity linked to the group a terrorist entity.
  • Pakistan's central bank froze the personal bank accounts of two nuclear scientists and an industrialist suspected of having links with Osama bin Laden.
  • The reported arrest of Mr. Saeed came after a telephone call from President Bush to General Musharraf, in which Mr. Bush asked the Pakistani leader to take additional strong and decisive measures to eliminate extremists.

Statistics:

  • 14 people died, including the five attackers, in the December 13 attack on the Indian Parliament.
  • 1,800-mile border between India and Pakistan.
  • 3 divisions of armor and infantry moved by India to the border with Pakistan.
  • 140 million people in Pakistan.
  • 14,000 Pakistani troops on the border with Afghanistan.
  • 5,000 Pakistani troops potentially reassignable from the border with Afghanistan to Pakistan's eastern front with India.

Sources:

  • Reuters
  • Agence France-Presse
  • The New York Times
  • Associated Press of Pakistan