Early Times Report
JAMMU, Mar 7: The successful Surgical Strike 2 deep inside Pakistan at Balakot has its impact on the Pakistani establishment, with terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, responsible for the Pulwama Massacre of 45 CRPF jawans on February 14 and whose terror training camp was targeted by the Indian Air force on February 26 at Balakot, warning Pakistan authorities to fear God.
"The day an audio clip has been released by Masood Azhar warning Pakistan authorities to 'fear God', Pakistan Army has denied that Jaish-e-Mohammad exists in the country," said a report.
The said audio clip was released on "encrypted chat platforms a day after the Islamic republic claimed that Jaish-e-Mohammad chief's brother and son were taken into preventive custody". In the clip, "Azhar is heard saying that he is alive and that authorities should fear God," report said. .
The clip was released only on Wednesday (6 March 2019), the same day army spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor had claimed, "First of all, that (JeM's) claim has not been made from within Pakistan because JeM does not exist in Pakistan as it has been proscribed by UN and Pakistan also".
Earlier, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had acknowledged that "their administration was in contact with the terror group". He also said: "Masood Azhar was in the country and 'very unwell', too unwell to even go out of the house". Soon thereafter, rumours started making rounds that "Azhar was dead". Reports say that "the recent audio clip's one purpose seems to be to quell all such rumours".
While Ghafoor said that "JeM doesn't exist in Pakistan, in the audio clip released on the same day, Azhar is heard saying that Pakistan will have to accept Jaish as it was" and that "Qureshi was acting under pressure but none of that was working".
Not just this, reports further said that "Azhar went ahead to warn the Pakistan authorities against any action". "Stop persecuting the mosques, madrassas and mujahideen. Remember when a Muslim flees the battle against the hypocrites, the wrath of Allah is upon him," he was quoted as saying.
Masood Azhar also denounced India, saying that "it was getting 'thrashed' and screaming so loudly that Pakistan leaders had started quaking". Significantly, while the army chief in Pakistan "denied even the existence of the group," Azhar is heard saying in the clip that "he is well and actively associated with the day to day functioning of the group". |
