justice-finally-delivered-to-masood-azhar-after-25-years

Justice finally delivered to Masood Azhar after 25 years

 

The Indian defence forces have finally delivered justice to Jaish-e-Mohammad supremo Masood Azhar after 25 years. He is a designated terrorist for having been involved in a number of terror attacks in India. He enjoys protection from the Pakistan army and resides in Bahawalpur.

 

On the intervening night of May 6 and 7, Indian armed forces struck his terror camp, which was being camouflaged as a ‘Madrasa’ (religious teaching school) and was housing several trainees. Ten of his relatives reportedly died in the attack. They include his sister, brother-in-law, nephew, his wife and several others. Azhar issued a statement confirming the death of ten of his relatives, saying he did not have any regret but wished he died along with them.

 

The Government of India has time and again been telling the international community that Pakistan was patronising and training terrorists who were resorting to terror activities in India. The terrorists responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 innocent tourists dead, were linked to Lashkar-e-Toiba, headed by Hafiz Saeed, who is based in Muridke. His camp was also smashed in the attack by the Indian defence forces.

 

India had categorically said it will not let the culprits behind the Pahalgam massacre of innocent tourists go unpunished. It precisely did that. The Indian defence forces did not hit any military or civilian installations nor did they target any civilian population. Rather, it was the Pakistan army, which resorted to unprovoked firing for the last several days along the Line of Control. Today, about ten people were killed in firing by the Pakistan army in the border town of Poonch.

 

Not only has India hit the right targets in precision attacks, but has also proved its point to the global community that it was saying for the last so many decades.

 

The Jaish-e-Mohammad was running a terrorist training camp in Bahawalpur and the Lashkar-e-Taiba was running a terrorist training camp in Muridke, which were hit in today's strikes.

 

Lashkar-e-Toiba was directly involved in the attack in Pahalgam. The Resistance Front, which initially claimed the responsibility for the Pahalgam attack, which it later denied, is directly linked with Lashkar. In order to avoid security, since Lashkar is a designated terrorist organisation, it has been using the name of the Resistance Front. It precisely did that by owning up the terror attack, but later backed out after realising the international ramifications.

 

Pakistan is finding it difficult to explain the presence of and protection given to Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed, while India stands vindicated as it had made it clear from day one that it will not let the Pahalgam terror attack culprits go scot-free. There is complete unanimity and consensus across the political spectrum in India about giving a befitting reply to Pakistan for promoting and supporting terror activities in India.

 

For Masood Azhar, it is the completion of the cycle of justice. He has been involved in killing hundreds of people in India through terror activities. Today, he paid with the lives of ten of his closest relatives, including his sister, her husband and her children.

 

That is the greatness of the accuracy India has shown in its attack. While the countries which have always been supportive of India had already agreed to what India said, now even the countries hostile towards India are being guarded in their reaction, since they do not have any answers and explanations about the activities of Azhar and Hafez.

 

Masood Azhar had infiltrated into India in the 1990s, during the peak of militancy. Having been trained with Afghan Mujahideen in late 1980s, when he was a young boy, he is a highly and dangerously indoctrinated jihadist who was involved in several terror-related incidents in Kashmir. He was arrested from Kashmir in 1994 and would have died in the prison had he not been released in exchange of hostages.

 

In December 2000, an Air India plane on its way from Kathmandu to Delhi was hijacked and taken to Kandhar, which was at that time ruled by the Taliban. Taliban were close allies of the Pakistan government that time. The hijackers demanded release of five terrorists, including Masood Azhar. There was strong resistance against releasing terrorists, particularly Azhar. But there was growing public pressure seeking release of over 200 passengers who had been held hostage by the hijackers. Eventually, the Government of India agreed to release all five terrorists, including Azhar. All of them were escorted to Kandhar, by none other than the then Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh.

 

Immediately after his release, Masood, with the support and protection of the Pakistan army, started reorganising his group and recruiting fresh recruits for terror attacks. His Jaish-e-Mohammad became very active and was responsible for several terror-related incidents in India. The Pakistan government would always deny having any knowledge about his whereabouts.

 

Now that Indian defence forces have zeroed in on the place where he runs “terrorist nurseries”, it may not be possible for Pakistan to hide and protect him for long. India can once again press for bringing in Pakistan under the security of the financial task force on terror funding.

 

In striking at his Bahawalpur headquarters, not only has India smashed his terrorist training camp, but also exposed Pakistan’s duplicity in feigning ignorance about his whereabouts.

 

Also read: India's bold response: When patience meets precision

 

In Muridke also, the strike on the camp run by Hafiz Saeed has been inflicted with severe damage with several casualties. However, like Masood, Saeed also escaped the attack although there were social media reports suggesting he had been killed. They obviously must have anticipated that they would be targeted by the Indian defence forces and they made good their escape before the strikes.

 

India has scored on multiple fronts. First, it did not hit civilian or military installations and did not cause any civilian casualties. It only targeted the terror training camps, which it has every right to do, as there were reports that more terror attacks were being planned from these places. These were just preemptive strikes that not only hit the targets spot on, but also exposed Pakistan's patronage of terror. In the process it also delivered the deserving justice to the terror mastermind Azhar Masood. He may have managed to escape an Indian prison in exchange of hostages his organisation took 25 years ago, eventually he has been served the desired justice. The process will only reach its logical conclusion when he meets the same fate, as did his relatives in today’s strikes.