Thread by @WajSKhan

Scoop: Pak nabs Mumbai "Mastermind"

Here's what you need to know:

- Sajid Mir is an alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operator
- Had $5 million reward on his head
- Was convicted in a Chicago court in 2011
- Pak claimed he was untraceable or dead for years

asia.nikkei.com/content/c82786…

What's the impact of #SajidMir arrest?

- India & others voted against Pak at last year's FATF plenary for inaction
- Now, his arrest has led Pak being eased off by FATF (depending on "on site" visit over summer)
- Arrest a part of Pak's drive to normalize ties with US & India

How was the arrest made?

#SajidMir's voice signature was gained through monitoring and analysis of the Pakistani communications system.

This was shared with Pakistan by an FATF member-state.

Pakistan was handed the actionable intelligence and compelled to take action.

What has happened since the arrest?

A reset of relations is under way.

Once the Pakistanis had taken the required action in April, Pakistan's chief of intelligence, Lt. Gen. Nadeem Anjum, the Director General of the #ISI, was invited to Washington to resume normalization.

Following Lt. Gen. Anjum’s visit, Foreign Minister @BBhuttoZardari also visited the US and met @SecBlinken last month, as talks of a reset began. While the FATF announced its eased restrictions for Pak last week, Bhutto-Zardari hinted at resumption of normalization with India.

Talks on counter-terrorism cooperation with Islamabad have also been underway in Washington for months, along with the resumption of normal military-to-military contacts.

These are premised on Pak helping US enhance its visibility in Afghanistan (US talking to others, too).

Last week, a large delegation of Pakistani military officials visited Washington & New York for interactions with the @DeptofDefense & other US administration officials.

Currently, around three dozen Pak military officers are in US military colleges, undergoing training.

However, Pakistan’s economy is in a downward spiral, and the country seeks American investment, and support in getting loans from the IMF, barring which a default is likely, according to experts.

The idea is to grow the relationship "beyond security."

As it seeks regional trade and normalization, Pakistan also has a back-channel of diplomacy ongoing with India, under the aegis of India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa.