May be in Afghanistan: Bilawal Bhutto says Pak doesn't know where Masood Azhar is

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Islamabad has no knowledge of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar’s whereabouts and claimed the country would arrest him if India provided credible evidence that he was on Pakistani soil.

Bhutto, whose party is part of the ruling coalition in Pakistan, said, “If and when the Indian government shares information with us that he is on Pakistani soil, we would be more than happy to arrest him.” He added that so far, New Delhi had not done so.

Azhar, one of India’s most-wanted terrorists, has been linked to several major attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase assault, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing.

He was designated a global terrorist by the United Nations in 2019 and had been released from Indian custody in 1999 as part of the Kandahar hijacking hostage exchange.

Bhutto claimed that given Azhar’s involvement in the Afghan jihad, Pakistan believes he may be in Afghanistan. “It’s not possible for Pakistan to do what NATO couldn’t do in Afghanistan. There is no reason for us to want anyone of concern to be active,” he said, referencing the Western withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power.

When asked why Pakistan was waiting for India to act, Bhutto pointed to international counterterrorism cooperation, where countries exchange lists of suspects. “That’s how we’ve thwarted attacks in London, New York, and Pakistan,” he said.

He also responded to a New York Times report claiming that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed was roaming free. “That’s factually not correct. Hafiz Saeed is in the custody of the Pakistani state,” Bhutto said.

His comments come in the wake of India’s Operation Sindoor in April, launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Indian forces had reportedly targeted several terror facilities, including the JeM base in Bahawalpur and LeT’s headquarters in Muridke.

According to reports, Masood Azhar later claimed that ten of his family members and four aides were killed during India’s strikes.

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