A hate-filled anti-India speech by a so-called Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commander has exposed Pakistan's deep terror connections and the role of army chief Asim Munir in the country's jihadi nexus.
JeM terrorist Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, flanked by armed security guards, delivered a fiery speech at a recent event, openly declaring that his outfit "embraced terrorism" in its fight against India.
'Masood Azhar's family torn to pieces'
Ilyas, who belongs to the outfit founded by UN-designated terrorist Masood Azhar, said that JeM embrased terrorism to fight Delhi, Kabul and Kandahar in order to protect the borders of his country.
He confirmed that the Operation Sindoor strikes by India on May 7 eliminated several family members of Masood Azhar. "After sacrificing everything, on May 7, Maulana Masood Azhar's family was torn apart by Indian forces in Bahawalpur," Kashmiri said in Urdu.
Masood Azhar, the founder of JeM, is the mastermind of multiple terror attacks against India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, the 2016 Uri attack and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, which killed 40 CRPF personnel. He was released from prison in India in 1999 after the hijacking of IC-814 flight.
The Jaish headquarters – Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah – in Bahawalpur was one of the nine targets India struck on May 7 during Operation Sindoor as retribution for the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack of April 22.
'Masood Azhar behind Parliament attack, 26/11'
During the event, Ilyas brazenly admitted how his boss was the architect of the 2001 Parliament attack as well as the 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai.
“After escaping the prison of Tihar Jail in Delhi, Amir-ul-Mujahideen Maulana Masood Azhar comes to Pakistan. The soil of Balakot provides him a base to carry forward his vision, mission, and programme Delhi and Bombay [Mumbai]—this is how Maulana Masood Azhar, the Amir-ul-Mujahideen who terrorised the country, appears,” he said.
The Jaish terrorist also identified Balakot in Pakistan as the base for Azhar’s operations against India and glorified Osama bin Laden as a “martyr” who influenced their movement.
'Pak army generals ordered to attend funerals'
Exposing the deep links between Pakistani army and the terror groups, the Jaish commander said that it was the Army headquarters that ordered the top generals to attend the funerals of those killed in Indian strikes.
"GHQ ordered the 'martyrs' to be honoured and given the last salute. Corps commanders were asked to accompany the janaza (funeral procession) and guard it in uniform," Ilyas said.
The statement confirms Asim Munir's direct involvement in offering open support to terrorists who died in Indian retaliation.
Post the Operation Sindoor strikes, Pakistan army personnel were seen attending the funerals of terrorists in locations such as Lahore, Muridke and Muzaffarabad. Some of the coffins were also draped with Pakistan's national flag.
In one of the videos, LeT commander and US-designated terrorist Hafiz Abdul Rauf was seen leading the funeral prayers with Pakistan army personnel in the background.
PM Modi's attack
During his recent address in Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited the revelations by the JeM terrorist to attack Pakistan and expose its duplicity on terror.
“Today, the whole world has seen how terrorists from Pakistan themselves have accepted the truth, how Jaish terrorists have exposed Pakistan,” he said.
“They admitted that India’s strike destroyed their bases,” he added.
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