Pakistan bans Hafiz Saeed's JuD, Imran Khan puts army on standby to 'respond' to India

New Delhi : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan gave his army a free hand to respond decisively and comprehensively to any activity on LoC by Indian Army.

Attending a meeting of the National Security Committee in Islamabad, Imran Khan decided to “accelerate action against proscribed organisations”, putting Hafiz Saeed’s Jamaat-ut-Dawah (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) in the list of banned groups, said an interior ministry spokesman.

However, Pakistan has not given any official statement on action against the Jaish-e-Mohammed, terrorist group that claimed Pulwama Attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 40 troops.

India has pledged a response to the Pulwama attack and dismissed Khan’s earlier offer to aid investigations into the attack and to take action if New Delhi provides “actionable intelligence”.

The National Security Committee meeting was convened to discuss the situation arising from the Pulwama attack, and the “forum noted that the state of Pakistan is not involved in any way, means or form in the said incident”, an official statement said.

The “incident was conceived, planned and executed indigenously”, the statement added, reiterating Pakistan’s offer to investigate the attack and of “dialogue on the issue of terrorism among other disputed issues”.

“At the same time, the Prime Minister authorised armed forces of Pakistan to respond decisively and comprehensively to any aggression or misadventure by India,” the statement said.