Routine for Pakistan to come up with ‘farcical actions’ prior to key international meets, says MEA on LeT commander Lakhvi’s sentencing

NEW DELHI: India on Friday scoffed at Pakistan after a court there sentenced Mumbai attack mastermind and UN proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi to imprisonment over terror financing charges, saying it has become routine for it to come up with “farcical actions” prior to key international meetings.

Asked about the jail sentence to Lakhvi, and issuance of an arrest warrant against Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar by another Pakistan court on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the timing of these actions clearly suggests the intention of conveying a sense of compliance ahead of APJG (Asia Pacific Joint Group) meet and the next FATF (Financial Action Task Force) plenary meet in February 2021.

“It has become routine for Pakistan to come up with farcical actions prior to important meetings,” he said.

“UN proscribed entities and designated terrorists act as proxies for Pakistani establishment to fulfil its anti-India agenda. It is for the international community to hold Pakistan to account and ensure that it takes credible action against terror groups, terror infrastructure and individual terrorists,” Srivastava said.

Azhar was also issued the arrest warrant over terror financing.