Defence Analyst Captain (Retd.) Bharat Verma on Thursday rubbished Hafiz Saeed's challenge, which asked India to prove that he was a terrorist, and said that the country should not bother about the statements of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks' mastermind but instead focus on how to neutralize persons like him through their intelligence sources.
Verma also accused the Pakistan Army, ISI and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Government of working in cohesion to support Hafiz Saeed, even after the United States of America has put a USD 10 million bounty on his head.
"If it was only the Indian Government, then why would there be a USD 10 million bounty by the Americans on his head? Every evidence that has been given to Pakistan, even Kasab-Pakistan said that he is not theirs. Ultimately, they had to admit it. So, nothing happens on Pakistan's side, they are a perfect nation and I am afraid they're in a perfect mess because of this attitude," Verma said.
"What Hafiz Saeed says has become totally irrelevant-he is a strategic asset of irregular forces supported by Pakistan's Army, ISI and Nawaz Sharif's Government. He roams around, openly, threatening India. To say that he is not a terrorist and that he wants a judicial enquiry-a joint code between Pakistan and India-is ridiculous because Pakistan is totally in a denial mode," Verma added.
Additionally, Verma urged the Central Government to suspend talks with Pakistan because he felt that it would not be a constructive solution to the problems at hand.
"It is useless even contemplating to talk to them. Let them stew in their own juices and live in isolation, why does India need to talk to them? We need to take actions to be proactive on our side. We need to neutralize targets like Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim with our intelligence capabilities. We need to take action against Pakistan instead of wasting everybody's time and the taxpayer's money over talking to Pakistan," Verma added.
On Wednesday, Hafiz Saeed, who roams a free man in Pakistan, challenged India to prove that he is a terrorist.
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According to media reports, Saeed said: "You (India) are continuously calling me a terrorist. But I am not a terrorist, and if you are not satisfied, an independent judicial commission comprising senior lawyers and judges from India and Pakistan should investigate whether I am guilty. Whatever verdict the commission announces I will accept that."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York next month, but the strained relationship between the two countries has cast extreme doubts over the talks.
On August 6, Pakistan Army ambushed six Indian soldiers in Poonch District of Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control (LoC).
Additionally, Pakistan has violated the ceasefire along the LoC 11 times in the last five days.