Report on Xi Jinping asking Pak to relocate Hafiz Saeed shocking, baseless: China

Beijing: China on Thursday dismissed as “shocking” and “baseless” a media report that President Xi Jinping has asked Pakistan to explore ways to relocate JuD chief Hafiz Saeed to a West Asian country amid mounting international pressure to act against him for his links with terror groups.

According to the report, a close aide of Pakistan Prime Minister said that Xi made the suggestion to Shahid Khaqan Abbasi during their meeting on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in China last month.

Reacting to it, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson’s office on Thursday said the report that Xi has asked Abbasi to relocate the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief to a West Asian country was “shocking and baseless”.

“It is shocking and baseless that’s all we can say,” the official told PTI here.

Saeed is the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attack in which 166 people, including six US nationals, were killed. He carries a USD 10 million American bounty for his role in terror activities

The JuD is believed to be the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the Mumbai attack. It was declared a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.

The US Department of the Treasury in 2012 designated Saeed as a specially designated global terrorist.