We Embraced Terrorism to Protect Pakistan: Jaish Commander

A controversial religious gathering in Pakistan's Balakot tehsil last week, themed around the life and teachings of Prophet Mohammed, has sparked outrage after a video surfaced of a top Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander openly glorifying terrorism and Pakistan's role in cross-border attacks on India. The 38th annual 'Mission Mustafa' conference, held in Gadi Habibullah and attended by thousands, featured speeches from prominent Islamic scholars on 'Khatm-e-Nubuwat'—the finality of the Prophet—but veered into anti-India rhetoric and pro-jihad calls.

The inflammatory highlight was a address by Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, a senior JeM operative accused of orchestrating multiple assaults on Indian targets, including the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack and the Uri army camp strike. In the footage, obtained by intelligence sources and verified by NDTV, Kashmiri portrayed JeM founder Masood Azhar as a "global symbol of resistance" debated by powers from Washington to Moscow. Defending Azhar's terrorist designation, he declared: "Embracing terrorism, we fought Delhi, Kabul, and Kandahar to protect the borders of this country (Pakistan). After sacrificing everything, on May 7, Maulana Masood Azhar's family was torn apart by Indian forces in Bahawalpur."

Kashmiri's remarks alluded to Operation Sindoor, India's May 2025 military retaliation to the April 20 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed tourists and prompted strikes on nine JeM-linked sites in Pakistan and PoK, including the group's Bahawalpur headquarters. Azhar had claimed 10 family members died, though India expressed regret for any civilian losses while asserting all targets were vetted as terror infrastructure. Kashmiri, a Rawlakote native in PoK and charged by India's NIA for the 2018 Sunjwan attack, also trains JeM militants and lives covertly, railing against "disavowing mujahideen" and urging jihad's revival—even against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

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These revelations, coming amid heightened India-Pakistan tensions post-Pahalgam, underscore Islamabad's alleged complicity in terrorism, despite denials. Pakistan's July Al Jazeera interview with Bilawal Bhutto even floated Azhar's possible Afghan hideout, evading India's demands for his extradition alongside Lashkar-e-Taiba's Hafiz Saeed.

Who is Masood Azhar?
India's most notorious terrorist, Azhar masterminded the 2001 Parliament assault and influenced the 2008 Mumbai carnage. UN-designated in 2019, he was freed in the 1999 IC-814 hijacking swap and has since operated from Pakistan, fueling New Delhi's persistent calls for his handover.

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