Masood Azhar behind Parliament attack, 26/11: Jaish leader admits
What's the story
A senior commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has implicated his chief, Masood Azhar, in orchestrating terror attacks in Delhi and Mumbai. The commander, Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, made these claims in a video. He said Azhar operated from Pakistan after being released by India following a five-year prison sentence in Delhi. Kashmiri said Azhar's base was in Balakot, which was targeted by India in airstrikes in 2019.
Kashmiri's boast
Kashmiri's statement
In the video, Kashmiri is heard as saying, "After escaping the prison of Tihar Jail in Delhi, Amir-ul-Mujahideen Maulana Masood Azhar comes to Pakistan. The soil of Balakot provides him a base to carry forward his vision, mission, and program in Delhi and Bombay [Mumbai]." "This is how Maulana Masood Azhar, the Amir-ul-Mujahideen who terrorized the country, appears."
Terror camps
Kashmiri's statements validate India's allegations against Pakistan
Kashmiri's statements confirm India's long-standing allegations that JeM camps operate with the protection of Pakistan's military-security establishment. He also called Osama bin Laden a "martyr" who influenced Azhar's ideology. In a different video that surfaced recently, he admitted that Azhar's family was "torn into pieces" during India's strikes on Bahawalpur. "Embracing terrorism, we fought Delhi, Kabul and Kandahar for protecting the borders of this country. After sacrificing everything, on May 7...Azhar's family was torn apart by Indian forces," he said.
Funeral attendance
Pakistan Army generals ordered to attend slain Jaish terrorists' funerals
The attack was part of "Operation Sindoor," launched by Indian forces after an April 22 attack that killed 26 civilians. The operation targeted terror launchpads across the border and in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Kashmiri also revealed how Pakistan Army generals were ordered to attend funerals of slain Jaish terrorists in Bahawalpur. He claimed the directive came from Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir to "honor" those killed in Indian airstrikes, further confirming India's allegations of state-sponsored terrorism by Pakistan's military-intelligence nexus.