Pakistan: Jihad leader reemerges after 20 years in hiding, pledges jihad against India and Israel

Image: Jihad Watch

Fugitive jihadist leader Masood Azhar has re-emerged after more than two decades, delivering a provocative speech to members of the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM). The speech, announced Tuesday on a JeM-affiliated online platform, marks Azhar’s first verifiable public appearance in years, signaling heightened terror threats. Commemorating the centennial of the abolition of the Turkish caliphate in 1924, Azhar vowed to launch jihadist campaigns against India and Israel to establish a global Islamic caliphate.

Although JeM platforms have occasionally released archival speeches by Azhar, this address is the first conclusively dated due to references to the ongoing Gaza conflict. While the exact location and timing remain undisclosed, Indian intelligence suggests it occurred late last month at the 1,000-acre Umm-ul-Qura seminary and mosque complex near Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

Despite Pakistani claims of taking control of the complex in 2019, locals report that JeM has since constructed new buildings and stationed armed guards to prevent unauthorized access. Azhar repeatedly declared, “India, your death is coming,” eliciting loud applause from his audience.

His address called for global violence and condemned international leaders. “Defeat in Kashmir, Palestine, and other Muslim lands is due to rulers who lack faith in Allah and jihad,” he declared. He ridiculed Indian Prime Minister Modi and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, describing them as weak adversaries. Invoking the Babri Masjid dispute, he asked, “Are there not 300 warriors who can reclaim my Babri Masjid?”

Azhar also referenced Sirajuddin Haqqani, Afghanistan’s Interior Minister and a US-designated terrorist, claiming Haqqani envisioned an army marching to Palestine only to find JeM forces already there.

Azhar’s history links him closely to al-Qaeda. He collaborated with its commanders in Somalia in 1993 and reportedly met Osama bin Laden in Kenya and Saudi Arabia. CIA documents reveal his earlier group, Harkat-ul-Ansar, received monthly funding of $30,000–$60,000 from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The timing of Azhar’s resurfacing has sparked scrutiny of Pakistan’s role. While Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto stated in 2022 that Azhar had fled to Afghanistan, this coincided with Pakistan’s efforts to be removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) terror financing watchlist.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)