The Congress party on Thursday welcomed the reports of detention of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar in connection with the Pathankot terrorist attack, but warned the Centre to be wary of Pakistan as they had arrested 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack mastermind Hafiz Sayeed also in the past, only to let him go later.
"Jaish-e-Mohammed chief being arrested is a welcome step, however, I would put a lot of caution to that. Even in the past they have detained Hafiz Sayeed, a case was filed and ultimately we found that there was no evidence against him despite overwhelming evidence given by India, and finally he was let free. Pakistan does these things to create an illusion and they do not do anything substantial," Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit told ANI.
"So, just arresting him so that talks can go on and internationally Pakistan can give an image that they are against terrorism, I do not think it holds good," he added
Pakistan has detained several militants belonging to JeM, including Masood Azhar, and sealed its offices, reported Pakistan media.
Media reports suggested that Masood Azhar was also taken into protective custody and was being questioned.
However, the MEA late on Wednesday evening said there was no official confirmation from Islamabad on the arrest of Masood Azhar.
"We have no official confirmation on the arrest of JeM chief Masood Azhar. We have seen the press release that has been put out by the Pakistani side, but we have no official confirmation on the arrest," said Swarup.