Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi claims JeM was not responsible for Pulwama blast

Qureshi's remarks came amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the February 14 terror attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pulwama that left 40 CRPF personnel dead.

Qureshi said “at this stage, we want to de-escalate, we don't want to get into a game of mudslinging. I feel tensions are too high.” (Photo by Deepak Gupta/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

New Delhi: A day after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi admitted that Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan and is "unwell", he denied that militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad had claimed responsibility for the Pulwama suicide bomb blast. During an interview with BBC, Qureshi said Jaish-e-Mohammad have not claimed responsibility and there is confusion over that. He also said that they had contacted JeM leadership and they said no. Qureshi's remarks came amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after the February 14 terror attack by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pulwama that left 40 CRPF personnel dead. Pakistan-based terror outfit, Jaish-e-Mohammad, has claims responsibility for the attack. Qureshi said “at this stage, we want to de-escalate, we don't want to get into a game of mudslinging. I feel tensions are too high.” On Masood Azhar being in Pakistan, he said "We are willing to listen to any reasonable proposal. We have a course in this country. The course of independence. When you take an action against an individual, no matter who he is, you'll have to prove a point in the court of law. What we are saying to the Indians, if you have anything please share it with us, and if you do, we can articulate the case in court, and we can justify action against that individual, that orgn to the people of Pakistan." On India's dossier, Qureshi said that they have received it yesterday. He said “we are studying the dossier. and rankly I'm saying through your programme that if India wants to initiate a adialogue based on the dossier, we are willing to engage with them.” India has handed over a dossier to Pakistan with "specific details of the JeM complicity in Pulwama terror attack and the presence of JeM terror camps and its leadership in Pakistan." Azhar is the chief of JeM that claimed responsibility for the February 14 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. India has been repeatedly trying to list him as a "global terrorist" by the UN. However, China, an ally of Pakistan, has blocked India's efforts by using veto.