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‘Pakistan requires Mujahid…': Masood Azhar rants afresh, ‘10,000 fidayeens ready for jihad'
Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar was reportedly heard boasting about a 30,000-strong cadre and claiming that '10,000 fidayeen are ready for jihad,' according to a report, citing an audio of the terror outfit chief played at a Bahawalpur mosque in Pakistan.
'The funds given to Mujahid will be used for Jihad… Pakistan requires Mujahid's blessings as much as big religious leaders do. We have fidayeens, no force or missile can arrest them. We have a cadre of 30,000. Jaish has 10,000 fidayeens ready for jihad,' News 18 quoted Masood Azhar as saying in the audio clip.
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Masood Azhar, a UN-designated terrorist, has been linked to several major attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 26/11 Mumbai strikes, the 2016 Pathankot airbase assault, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing.
He was released from Indian custody in 1999 in exchange for hostages following the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 to Kandahar.
According to News18, citing intelligence sources, the recent audio clip featuring Azhar signals a deliberate move by Pakistan to reactivate a dormant terror asset, particularly after the setback it suffered during 'Operation Sindoor'.
The messaging also aligns with Pakistan's reported efforts to intensify its proxy war amid the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, aiming to destabilise internal peace and target the sacred pilgrimage.
'Azhar's reference to funding for Mujahideen is not mere rhetoric; it is a coded call for financing upcoming attacks, potentially involving foreign sympathisers and hawala routes. This aligns with recent intercepts indicating a revival of terror financing chains in Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Gulf regions,' News 18 quoted the sources as saying, adding that Pakistani agencies are reportedly recycling defunct terror figures like Azhar to reorganise sleeper cells and assert dominance through symbolic threats.
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The glorification of fidayeen in Masood Azhar's recent mosque address reflects a shift in Pakistan's terror strategy — moving from cross-border infiltration to promoting lone-wolf and suicide attacks, especially as traditional infiltration routes have been blocked, reported News 18, citing intelligence sources.
There is also rising reliance on newly reactivated madrassa networks in southern Punjab and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the sources added.
The use of mosque loudspeakers to amplify messages from UN-designated terrorists, they noted, is further proof of state complicity in promoting banned figures.
India has consistently pressed for the extradition of Masood Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed, both listed as global terrorists by the UN.
However, Pakistan continues to deny sheltering them, despite mounting evidence of their presence on its soil.
In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari claimed that Islamabad has 'no knowledge' of Azhar's whereabouts — and said the government would be willing to arrest him if India provides what he described as 'credible evidence.'
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'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," Bilawal Bhutto was quoted as saying, adding, 'The fact is, the Indian government is not."
With inputs from agencies
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