France freezes assets of JeM chief

Paris, March 15 (IANS): The French government announced on Friday that it has decided to freeze the assets of Masood Azhar, the founder and leader of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist group, a media report said. A joint statement issued by the French Interior Ministry, Finance Ministry and Foreign Ministry said that France would also discuss putting Azhar on an European Union list of people suspected of being involved in terrorism, Reuters reported. Pakistan is under pressure from many countries to act against terrorist groups including the JeM, which claimed responsibility for the February 14 suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 40 CRPF personnel.