In his first public appearance in over two decades, the founder of the terror outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad, Maulana Masood Azhar, tried to position himself as a close aide of top Afghan Taliban leaders and rally support for his renewed jihadist operations against India. But he was promptly cut to size by Sirajuddin Haqqani, an Afghan Taliban leader, who rubbished his fanciful imaginations aimed at aggrandizing himself in Pakistan’s terror landscape.
Azhar, who spoke for over 66 minutes during a public event held most likely last month, has been desperately trying to raise funds for his terror group’s activities in Kashmir. In the speech that was released online, the JeM chief tried to reinforce his credibility and influence by highlighting his alleged relationship with top Afghani Taliban leaders.
In his speech, Azhar claimed that Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Afghan Taliban’s deputy leader, had shared a dream with him, which he presented as a significant endorsement. Azhar seems to be leveraging this narrative to strengthen his standing within Pakistan’s militant networks.
While Masood hoped presenting himself as a reliable ally of senior Afghan Taliban figures would raise the morale of his followers and help them with the belief of achieving something similar in Kashmir as the Taliban managed to do in Kabul in August 2021, Haqqani’s reported dismissal of the JeM chief’s claims has thrown spanner in the works for the terrorist who seems to be trying to gain a foothold in a rapidly dynamic terror landscape in Pakistan.
A journalist quoted a media associate close to Sirajuddin Haqqani, dismissing the imaginary notions peddled by Masood Azhar in his recent public appearance. Sirajuddin Haqqani has categorically denied Masood Azhar’s claim, dismissing it entirely and stating he does not know of any such dream, the journalist tweeted quoting the Talibani aide.
UPDATE: A media associate close to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Afghan Taliban deputy leader, reached out from Kabul in response to this post, asserting that Sirajuddin Haqqani has categorically denied Masood Azhar’s claim, dismissing it entirely and stating he has no knowledge of any… https://t.co/K4fld1vZoC
— Abd. Sayed ترمذی سادات (@abdsayedd) December 4, 2024
Even though the Taliban has snubbed the JeM chief, the episode nevertheless highlights how Pakistan has been a sanctuary to terrorists operating against India, especially for their mythical goal of “liberating” Kashmir—a north Indian state that has been amongst the worst hit by the menace of terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
