JeM chief Masood Azhar not in Pakistan, claims Bilawal Bhutto

Over the years, India has accused Pakistan of "feigning ignorance" when it comes to the presence of Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed in its country.

Published on: Jul 5, 2025, 08:30:25 IST

By HT News Desk

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In a shocking revelation, Pakistan's Bilawal Bhutto has stated that Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is not in the country. Speaking to reporters on Friday, the Pakistani politician stated that Pakistan has been "unable to identify or arrest" Azhar.

The JeM chief, who is also a globally designated terrorist by the United Nations, was released by India in exchange for the passengers during the IC-814 hijack in 1999. (AP/File Pic)

Masood Azhar is one of the most-wanted terrorists in India for his involvement in the 2001 Parliament attack, 2008 Mumbai attacks, 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack. The JeM chief, who is also a globally designated terrorist by the United Nations, was released by India in exchange for the passengers during the IC-814 hijack in 1999.

Over the years, India has accused Pakistan of "feigning ignorance" when it comes to the presence of Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed in its country.

Saeed in custody, Azhar not in Pakistan: Bhutto

Speaking to reporters, Bilawal Bhutto stated that while Hafiz Saeed is in Pakistan, he is not a free man.

"That's factually not correct that Hafiz Saeed is a free man. He is in the custody of the Pakistani state," said Bhutto in response to a New York Times report claiming the LeT chief was free.

Also Read: Not just Pakistan, India faced 3 adversaries in Operation Sindoor: Army

Furthermore, the politician added tht Azhar is not on Pakistani soil, and would be "happy to arrest him" if India shares proof that the JeM chief is present in Islamabad.

"As far as Masood Azhar is concerned, we have been unable to arrest him or identify him. Given his past within the Afghan jihad context, it is our belief that he is in Afghanistan. If and when the Indian government shares information with us that he is on Pakistani soil, we would be more than happy to arrest him. The fact is, the Indian government is not..." said Bhutto.

The politician added that if Azhar is in Afghanistan, "It's not possible for Pakistan to go and do what all of NATO was unable to do within Afghanistan. There's no reason for Pakistan to want to see this individual or any individual of concern to be active," referring to the 2021 Taliban takeover.

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HT News Desk
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