India's Ambassador to Israel J P Singh has forceably called on Pakistan to extradite the leaders of the Pakistan-based Islamist terror outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), who have operated cross-border terrorism into India with impunity for long.
In an i24NEWS interview with Israel, Singh noted that it is these organizations that have conducted several attacks in India, such as the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Uri and 2019 Pathankot air base attacks, the 2019 Pulwama attack, and most recently the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
Singh stressed that the root cause is these two terrorist organizations and their masterminds — Jaish-e-Mohammed whose mastermind is Masood Azhar, and Lashkar-e-Taiba whose mastermind is Hafiz Saeed. He called upon Pakistan to do it out of goodwill and friendship by surrendering these terrorists to India.
He asked why Pakistan could not extradite the leaders when the US had extradited Tahawwur Rana who was involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
Regarding India’s military response, Singh clarified that Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 following the Pahalgam attack, has been paused but is not over. The fight against terrorism, he said, will continue.
On suspending the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Singh stated that the treaty was signed with good intentions. Pakistan, though, continued to indulge in terrorism while water flowed under the treaty in India. After the Pahalgam attack, India's Prime Minister stated that "blood and water cannot flow together," and thus India suspended the treaty.
Singh also reported that Operation Sindoor had led to the destruction of several terror launch pads and the elimination of more than 100 terrorists. The Indian retaliatory strikes made Pakistan nervous and eager for contact, and thus both nations finalized a ceasefire on May 10.
He ended by saying that India has established a "new normal" with an offense strategy aimed at terrorists and their structures and observed that, up to now, the ceasefire is holding.
