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India on Friday demanded strong action against Masood Azhar, the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed, after reports emerged that he had addressed a public gathering in Bahawalpur. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said that if the report is true, it would expose Pakistan’s “duplicity” in tackling terrorism.

We demand that strong action be taken against him and brought to justice. There have been denials that he is in Pakistan.” He further said, “If the reports are accurate, it exposes Pakistan’s duplicity. Masood Azhar is involved in cross-border terror attacks on India, and we want strong action against him.

The comments were made in response to a question during Jaiswal’s weekly media briefing. Azhar’s speech, his first in over 20 years, was reportedly delivered to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) members, as announced by the group’s digital platform on Tuesday. In the speech, Azhar promised a resurgence of terror actions against India and Israel, advocating for the creation of a new global Islamic framework. The speech marked a century since the collapse of the Turkish caliphate in 1924.

According to the report, an Indian intelligence official said the speech was made late last month at the Umm-ul-Qura seminary and mosque complex in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Azhar has been barred from public appearances since 2003 after a Jaish faction attempted to assassinate Pakistan’s former military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf.