'High time to unite and fight against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism', says Centre

Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office, Jitendra Singh, on Saturday said the time is ripe for the Indian political establishment, irrespective of their beliefs, to unite and fight against Pakistan sponsored terrorism.

The minister's statement comes in the backdrop of a video emerging wherein it showed that Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Saeed saying,

"We have to give a message to India to stop and withdraw forces and accept Geelani's four-point formula immediately, because, this is the last chance, and hereafter, the matter will be decided in the battlefield."

Singh told ANI that the video is an open confession for the entire world to watch as an evidence against Pakistan and asserted that it is high time for India to respond accordingly.

"We have had series of evidence to prove that Pakistan has been promoting terrorism and now the perpetrators of terrorism sitting in Pakistan themselves are feeling emboldened to say so and this amounts to an open confession which the entire world should watch," he said.

"I think now is the time when we do not need any more evidence of it, we just need to respond to it which is heartening to see that the government is taking a call in an appropriate manner," he added.

The Jamaat-ud-Dawah leader had organised a "Kashmir Caravan" from Lahore to Islamabad.

His rallies were attended by federal ministers and religious leaders of various organisations.

The U.S. has designated both the Laskkar e Toiba ( LeT ) and the Jamaat ud Dawa ( JuD ) as foreign terrorist organisations.

Saeed has also been listed by the UN Security Council's 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee.

South Asia watchers in Washington say that by allowing a terrorist to take up a government sponsored cause the Pakistan Government has bared it's selective approach towards terrorism.

When banned outfits are allowed to openly hold rallies in Pakistan at the behest of the Government the allegations about Pakistan using terror as state policy appears to gain ground.