India on Friday demanded Pakistan to take strong action against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar after reports came in that he delivered a speech at a public gathering in Bahawalpur.
During the weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, while replying to a related question said if the report is correct, then it has exposed Pakistan's "duplicity" in containing terrorist activities.
"We demand that strong action be taken against him (Azhar) and he should be brought to justice. There has been denial that he is there in Pakistan," Jaiswal said.
"If the reports are correct, then it exposes the duplicity of Pakistan. Masood Azhar is involved in cross-border terror attacks on India and we want strong action to be taken against him," he added.
Recently, the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) group announced on the online platform that Azhar delivered his first speech in over 20 years.
Azhar's speech promised a resurgence of terror actions against India and Israel, aimed at creating a new global Islamic framework, The Print reported.
Jaish-e-Mohammed did not disclose the date or exact location of Azhar's speech.
Citing intelligence sources, the report said the speech was likely delivered late last month at the Umm-ul-Qura seminary and mosque complex near Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
Since a faction of Jaish attempted to assassinate Pakistan’s former military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, in 2003, Azhar had been banned from making public appearances.
Before that, Azhar was detained after the 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament, though he was never prosecuted. In 2016, Pakistani authorities placed him in what they referred to as “protective custody.”
