Indian authorities have condemned Pakistan for failing to take strict action against Masood Azhar, chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), on reports that he has given a public speech in Bahawalpur recently. The Ministry of External Affairs, or MEA, rebuked Pakistan for inaction regarding Azhar's activities and noted that the time has come for justice against the terrorist leader.
In a press briefing on Friday, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal demanded that Pakistan take "strong action" against Azhar, pointing to his involvement in multiple cross-border terror attacks on India. Jaiswal said that if the reports were indeed true, they would expose the "duplicity" of Pakistan on the terrorism issue.
"We demand that strong action be taken against him (Azhar) and he should be brought to justice," Jaiswal said. "There has been denial that he is not in Pakistan, and if the reports are correct, then it exposes the duplicity of Pakistan." Azhar has long been associated with some of the most damaging terrorist incidents on Indian soil, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack.
Reports claim Azhar gave a hate speech in Bahawalpur he referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "mouse" and vowed to promote more terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The speech made in November 2024 reignited the old flames of worriedness over Azhar's continuing incitement to violence.
Azhar is a principal leader in the Pakistan-based JeM, who has been involved in various large attacks against India. In September 2019, India accused Azhar, along with Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, as individuals terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). His group was responsible for the Pulwama attack, which killed 40 Indian soldiers, after which tensions heightened between India and Pakistan.
India has repeated its demands for credible action from Pakistan against Azhar to stop any additional attacks and to fulfil international obligations against terrorism.
