The infamous chief of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Masood Azhar, has been confined to bed with a “life-threatening condition”, Indian intelligence officials told Hindustan Times.
The 50-year-old’s health deteriorated due to ailments related to his spinal cord and kidney, the officials added.
Due to Azhar’s ailment, the operations of the terror outfit is now divided between his two younger brothers – Rauf Asghar and Athar Ibrahim.
DOES AZHAR HAVE A MEDICAL HISTORY?
According to the Intelligence officials, Azhar has been confined to his bed for at least a year and a half and was reportedly treated for his spinal cord and renal condition at the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi, Hindustan Times reported.
Backing this up, Indian diplomats told the newspaper that Azhar had not been seen in public at his home town Bhawalpur or anywhere in Pakistan, for that matter.
WHY DOES INDIA CALL AZHAR A ‘GLOBAL TERRORIST’?
Last month in September, Azhar’s proposed designation as ‘global terrorist’ had become a bone of contention between India and China.
India has held Azhar responsible for a series of terror attacks on Indian soil – including the 2001 attack on Parliament, the 2005 attack in Ayodhya and the 2016 attack on Pathankot airbase, Hindustan Times reported.
As a result of these attacks, which it believes was orchestrated by Azhar, India made repeated bids to the United Nations to list Azhar as a “global terrorist”. Following India’s bids, the US, Britain and France all backed its decision to designate Azhar as a terrorist under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.
However, China has opposed this rigorously.
China, while defending the terrorist, argued that the issue lacks “consensus” among the members of the UN Security Council as well as the “directly concerned” parties –India and Pakistan, PTI reported.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE TERROR OUTFIT NOW?
Despite Azhar being bed-ridden, the outfit plans to continue to carry out attacks on India and Afghanistan, especially under the control of his two brothers, the officials told The Hindustan Times.
While Athar Ibrahim is known for carrying out the hijacking of IC-814 in 1999 to force India to free Azhar in exchange for all the hostages, and is now handling terror attacks in Afghanistan and Baluchistan, the other brother Rauf Asghar’s focus point is terror attacks against India, particularly in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the officials added.
(With inputs from PTI and Hindustan Times)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)