New Delhi/Islamabad: A day after speculations and rumours about the death of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Pakistan’s Punjab minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan on Monday clarified that the terrorist was alive. Chohan claimed that the government had no information about his death, news agency ANI reported.
On Sunday, a few media reports speculated that the dreaded terrorist and Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Azhar had been killed in the Indian Air Force (IAF) air strike at the JeM camp in Pakistan’s Balakot on February 26. A few others suggested that the Jaish founder had died after battling a prolonged illness.
However, in an official statement, Jaish-e-Mohammad declared that its chief was “alive and doing very well” and refuted the speculations. Notably, Azhar is said to be suffering from a renal ailment and was purportedly going through treatment at an Army Hospital in Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, The Times of India quoted intelligence sources as saying that the Pakistan Army has shifted Masood Azhar from its Rawalpindi base hospital to a Jaish camp in Goth Ghanni in Bahawalpur at around 7:30 pm on Sunday. Reportedly, soon after the JeM chief was shifted out from the hospital, the terror group released a statement slamming the Imran Khan government and accusing it of bowing to pressure from India and the international community.
In the statement, Jaish based the Imran Khan administration of following the policies of former President General Pervez Musharraf. After the 9/11 attacks in US in 2001, Musharraf had launched a crackdown against several terror groups following US’ directive to Pakistan to take a clear stand against terrorism.
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Punjab(Pakistan) Minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan: He is alive, Maulana Masood Azhar is alive, we have no information of his death. #Lahore
3:53 AM – 4 Mar 2019
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