New Delhi, India

India on Friday (Dec 6) called on Pakistan to take decisive action against Masood Azhar, the mastermind of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and the Pulwama attack, after reports emerged of him addressing a gathering for the first time in two decades. In the speech, Azhar vowed to renew jihadist operations targeting India and Israel to establish a global Islamic order.

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"He is an UN-designated terrorist. We demand that strong action be taken against him so that he is brought to justice. There has been a denial that he is not there in Pakistan. What you are referring to, if the reports are correct then it exposes the duplicity of Pakistan. Masood Azhar is involved in cross-border terror attacks in India. We want that strong action to be taken against him," MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly media briefing.

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Also read: Pulwama attack mastermind Masood Azhar makes first address in 20 years, vows to renew operations against India

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India’s reaction followed claims that the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Pakistan-based terrorist organisation, addressed its members via an online forum. During the speech, Azhar reportedly said, “India, your death is coming.”

“Fearful rulers who do not believe in the word of Allah and jihad have led us to defeat in Kashmir, Palestine, and other Muslim lands. They say nothing can change, and America will rule the world,” Azhar added. 

“Three hundred and nine years may pass before things change, according to the Quran. God may will that things change only after a thousand years, and sometimes in minutes,” the JeM chief said.

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Watch: Pakistan | Imran Khan's Ultimatum To Govt: Release Political Prisoners Or Face Protests

“I am ashamed that a weakling like (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi challenges us, or a mouse-like (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu dances on our graves. Tell me, are there not even 300 people who can fight to reclaim my Babri Masjid?” he said, as per media reports.

“We will send you all to Kashmir with such powerful guns that all the television anchors will quiver…, and ask where these weapons have come from,” Azhar added.

Pakistan previously claimed to have seized Azhar’s compound in Bahawalpur after the Pulwama attack. However, reports suggest that JeM has since expanded its facilities in the area. According to The Diplomat, Pakistan informed the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in 2020 that Azhar and his family were missing. In 2022, then-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto said that Azhar had fled to Afghanistan.

(With inputs from agencies)