'Symbol of confusion': Bilawal Bhutto's 'no objection to extradition' remark about terrorist Hafiz Saeed draws ire in Pakistan

Pakistan’s former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that his country would be open to extraditing terror accused, as a goodwill gesture to India, provided New Delhi is willing to cooperate in the process. He was responding to a question about extraditing Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as possible concessions and good-faith gestures to India. His statement has drawn the ire of the LeT chief's son, Talha Saeed, as well as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Bilawal, who also heads the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), said that such a move could be part of a “comprehensive dialogue” between the two countries, where terrorism is discussed as a key issue. "India is refusing to comply with certain basic elements that require that conviction to take place," Bilawal alleged, pointing to the need for Indian witnesses to testify in Pakistani courts. "If India is willing to be cooperative in that process, I am sure there will be no hurdle in extraditing any individual of concern", he added. "As part of a comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan, where terrorism is one of the issues that we discuss, I am sure Pakistan would not be opposed to any of these things," he said.

On being asked to disclose the whereabouts of Saeed and Azhar, the PPP chief said, “It is factually not correct that Hafiz Saeed is a free man; he is in the custody of the Pakistani state,” adding that Islamabad has been unable to arrest Azhar. “It is our belief that he is in Afghanistan," Bilawal said.

“If and when the Indian government shares information that he is on Pakistani soil, we will be more than happy to arrest him," he added.

Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar

Hafiz Saeed - the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind, and Masood Azhar are among India's most wanted terrorists. Saeed is currently serving a 33-year sentence for terror financing and has reportedly been lodged in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019. However, reports suggest that his jail term is a show-off by the Pakistani administration to avoid FATF blockage, while in reality, he enjoys free hand. Azhar is the mastermind of several terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot airbase strike, and the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. India released Azhar from its custody in 1999 as part of a hostage swap deal during the Flight 814 Kandahar hijack. Both LeT and JeM have been banned by Pakistan, according to the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA). Azhar is also a UN-designated global terrorist and has been proscribed by NACTA and living in an undisclosed place for the last many years.

Talha Saeed, PTI slams Bhutto

Hafiz Saeed's son, Talha Saeed, in a video message slammed Bilawal Bhutto for his remarks and said that he "should not" have talked about Pakistanis' extradition. Talha also added that his father's actions are not against Pakistan. "His statement is against the state policy, national interest and sovereignty, and we strongly condemn it. Bilawal Bhutto is either unaware of ground realities or promoting the enemy’s narrative,” he said and asked, "Could a state representative talk about handing over citizens to an enemy country?"

Meanwhile, Sheikh Waqas Akram, spokesperson of the jailed former prime minister Imran Khan-led PTI, in a statement on Saturday, said the PPP leader is an “immature political child”, the Dawn newspaper reported. “We fail to understand why Bilawal is so keen on appeasing India. Bilawal has become a symbol of confusion and contradiction in Pakistan’s foreign policy discourse... PPP was founded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on the legacy of Kashmir, but today, Bilawal is betraying that legacy by pursuing political gains at the expense of Kashmiri blood,” he said.