JeM chief Masood Azhar in Pakistan, admits Pak Foreign Minister

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has admitted that Jaish-e-Mohammed JeM chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan and is unwell.

Qureshi, however, said the Pakistan government can act against him only upon solid and inalienable evidence. Qureshi also added that the release of captured IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman is a peace gesture and must be seen as Pakistan’s willingness to de-escalate the tensions.

India has handed over a dossier to Pakistan, on Wednesday, with specific details of the JeM complicity in Pulwama terror attack and the presence of JeM terror camps and its leadership in Pakistan. India had also expressed regret at continuing denial by Pakistan’s political and military leadership at the presence of terrorist infrastructure in territories under its control. Masood Azhar is the chief of JeM that claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel became martyred.

JeM has been active in Pakistan for the last two decades with its headquarters in Bahawalpur. JeM, which is proscribed by the UN, has been responsible for a series of terrorist attacks including on the Indian Parliament in 2001 December and the Pathankot airbase in 2016 January. India has provided Information regarding the location of training camps in Pakistan and Pak occupied Jammu and Kashmir from time to time to Pakistan.

Pakistan, however, had denied their existence. India has stressed earlier that the existence of such massive training facilities capable of training hundreds of jihadis could not have functioned without the knowledge of Pakistan authorities.

India has been repeatedly urging Pakistan to take action against the JeM to prevent jihadis from being trained and armed inside Pakistan. Till now Pakistan has taken no concrete actions to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil.