New Delhi:
A religious gathering in Pakistan’s Balakot tehsil last week—ostensibly a conference on the life and teachings of Prophet Mohammed—has drawn sharp scrutiny after being used to spread anti-India, pro-jihad messages.
According to intelligence sources, the 38th annual Mission Mustafa conference began at 10 am in Gadi Habibullah and attracted thousands from the town and surrounding areas. While prominent Islamic scholars spoke largely on the theme of Khatm-e-Nubuwat—the finality of the Prophet—the event turned into a platform for extremist rhetoric when a video of Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, a senior commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed, was played.
Jaish commander praises Azhar, glorifies terrorism
In his address, Kashmiri described Jaish founder Masood Azhar—one of India’s most wanted terrorists—as a “global symbol of resistance… discussed by world powers from Washington to Moscow.” He denounced Azhar’s terrorist designation and claimed 25 years of “struggle for ideological borders and sacrifices.”
In remarks that Indian agencies believe once again confirm Pakistan’s complicity in cross-border terrorism, Kashmiri declared:
“Embracing terrorism, we fought Delhi, Kabul, and Kandahar to protect the borders of this country (Pakistan). After sacrificing everything, on May 7, Maulana Masood Azhar’s family was torn apart by Indian forces in Bahawalpur.”
Armed guards stood in the background as Kashmiri spoke in Urdu. His reference was to Operation Sindoor—India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack—which destroyed nine terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including the Jaish headquarters in Bahawalpur.
India confirms identity, recalls past attacks
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau have confirmed to NDTV that the man in the video is indeed Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, a Jaish commander from Rawlakote in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He has been linked to several attacks in India and faces a chargesheet in the 2018 Sunjwan Military Station case. For years, Kashmiri has trained Jaish cadres in PoK while avoiding public exposure.
A statement attributed to Azhar himself had claimed that 10 members of his family were killed in the Indian strikes. India has expressed regret for civilian casualties but maintained that all targets were carefully vetted and directly linked to terrorist operations.
Calls for renewed jihad
In the same speech, Kashmiri condemned any attempt to disown “mujahideen” and urged for the revival and expansion of jihad. He even went so far as to call for targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Masood Azhar’s terror trail
Masood Azhar, designated a global terrorist by the United Nations in 2019, has a long history of involvement in terror against India. He was linked to the 2001 Parliament attack and the 26/11 Mumbai strikes.
Azhar was in Indian custody until his release in December 1999, when he was freed in exchange for passengers of the hijacked IC-814 flight in Kandahar. Since then, he has been sheltered in Pakistan, despite repeated Indian demands for his handover along with Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed.
Islamabad continues to deny his presence. In a July interview with Al Jazeera, Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto even suggested Azhar might be in Afghanistan—a claim New Delhi has dismissed.
