Bhutto refutes information of Masood Azhar's whereabouts
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) president and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto told an international news agency in an interview that his government is unaware of the location of Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Masood Azhar. According to Bhutto, if India gives precise information about Azhar being in Pakistan, he will be arrested.
Bhutto's comments on Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar
Bhutto asserted that Lashkar-e-Taiba leader Hafiz Saeed is not a free man, but in custody in Pakistan. He stated that the government has failed to find or arrest Masood Azhar. In his estimation, there are possibilities Azhar is in Afghanistan. Bhutto added that if the Indian government comes forth with clear and specific details of Azhar's presence in Pakistan, they would act on it. But he was skeptical that India would come forth with such intelligence.
Context: India's recent anti-terror operation
India recently conducted "Operation Sindoor" as a follow-up to a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The operation attacked terror camps of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). It is reported that the headquarters of both organizations were eliminated.
Reports of casualties and past events
There have been reports that Masood Azhar said ten of his family members had perished in the Indian strikes. Bhutto's recent statements are in line with this latest development and mirror Pakistan's denial of the repeated accusations of hosting terrorists. India blames Azhar for a number of terror attacks, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Background on Masood Azhar
Masood Azhar, the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed, was detained in India in 1995. He was released in 1999 after an Indian Airlines flight was hijacked and went on to start the terror outfit. He was designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations in 2019.
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