In a case of bad ‘karma’ Taliban outs Pakistan on what India had always said on Azhar

Taliban spokesperson has denied that the Jaish-e-Mohammad chief is in Afghanistan and said that Azhar was in fact in Pakistan.

New Delhi, Sep 15: Pakistan has chosen to deny the existence of several wanted terrorists on its soil. However, in a case of bad karma, the nation in which the ISI operates has been outed by none other than the Taliban.

Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid has denied that Jaish-e-Mohammad chief, Masood Azhar is in Afghanistan. He said that Azhar was in fact in Pakistan, according to Afghanistan's media outlet Tolo News.

The statement by Mujahid comes after Pakistan wrote to Kabul seeking the arrest of Azhar.

While Pakistan has denied the presence of Azhar on its soil, the Indian agencies have tracked down his exact locations. The intercepts, according to officials OneIndia spoke with, clearly shows that Azhar is located in a high-security facility in Bahawalpur which also houses the Jaish-e-Mohammad's primary training facility. Azhar is at Markaz-e-Usma-o-Ali, Railway Link Road, Bahawalpur, Pakistan, the official cited above also said.

The Indian dossier not just cites the intercept but also quotes Pakistan's former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi who had once said that Azhar is suffering from a life threatening spine disease.

Azhar who is a high-value asset for the ISI has been moved around to different addresses several times to ensure his safety. In the aftermath of the Pulwama attack in 2019, the ISI had sensed that India would hit back. They moved him to an army hospital in Rawalpindi.

The dossier makes a detailed note about the addresses that he has been moved around to in Pakistan fearing a hit by an external agency. They are Azhar is at Markaz-e-Usma-o-Ali, Railway Link Road, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

Azhar was and continues to remain an important asset for Pakistan. The fact that he got away scot-free despite him plotting the assassination of former Pakistan president, Pervez Musharraf is proof of that.

He had never been arrested in the case and was asked to lie low for several years following which he was brought to the mainstream in a big way again.