When will you stop terror, prosecute Hafiz Saeed? Pak PM evades question at UNGA
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday declined to answer questions on terrorism and the prosecution of 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed as he arrived at the United Nations headquarters in New York, a day before his scheduled address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Sharif was asked by reporters when Pakistan would stop harbouring terrorists and when Saeed would be prosecuted, but he did not respond to either question.
"When will you stop harbouring terrorists? When will you prosecute Hafiz Saeed?" an Indian reporter hurled scathing and direct questions at the Pakistan Prime Minister as he arrived in New York for the annual UNGA. He, however, waved his hand to the media fraternity present there and walked away without saying anything.
The exchange came a year after Sharif used his UNGA address to portray Pakistan as a frontline state in the global fight against terrorism.
He had said, "I believe a man killed in New York is a man killed in Lahore," arguing that Pakistan had prevented terrorists from reaching cities such as New York and London.
His silence this time came amid renewed scrutiny of Pakistan's record on terror groups and individuals designated by international and Indian authorities.
Saeed, the founder of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has been designated a terrorist under India's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
He was also named as Accused No. 8 in a supplementary chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency in connection with the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
Saeed is serving a prison sentence in Pakistan in terror-financing cases, but India has repeatedly sought action against him over his role in terror activities, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The issue has also surfaced ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary scheduled for October.
Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency recently released an updated 2026 Red Book of its most-wanted terrorists and increased the listed bounty on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar from PKR 20 lakh to PKR 70 lakh.
Islamabad has maintained that Azhar fled to Afghanistan, while Indian intelligence assessments cited in the inputs say he is believed to be hiding in Pakistan.
The updated Pakistani roster has also drawn attention over its treatment of individuals linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The list includes 17 such terrorists, but photographs, LeT affiliations and operational details of some key figures have reportedly been removed.
Sharif's UN appearance also comes against the backdrop of mounting political and economic pressures at home.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has warned that planned marches, sit-ins and strikes by Jamaat-e-Islami, Kissan Ittehad and Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf could result in losses of up to PKR 120 billion a day.
The services sector, particularly retail and transport, is expected to account for a significant share of the disruption, while industry could face losses of up to PKR 25 billion daily.
Political tensions have further intensified ahead of the September 27 PTI protest seeking the release of former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023.
Punjab authorities have imposed Section 144 and deployed Pakistan Rangers, while Khan's sisters Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi have also been detained under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.
Meanwhile, protests, militancy and security concerns continue to affect parts of Pakistan, including Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Against this backdrop, Sharif is expected to use his UNGA address on Friday to speak about international and West Asia issues, including the US-Iran conflict.
His refusal to engage on questions concerning terrorism, however, has placed Pakistan's counterterrorism record back in focus.- EndsWith ANI inputs
