There are unconfirmed reports doing rounds on social media about the death of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.
There were two reports doing the rounds one that Masood Azhar succumbed to his injuries after getting injured in the air strikes conducted by Indian Air Force on the 26th of February.
The second report doing the rounds was that Azhar died after suffering from renal failure at a Pakistan Army hospital.
The Foreign Affairs Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in an interview confirmed to the BBC and CNN that the Jaish chief was very much in Pakistan, and was “very unwell” and he “can’t even leave his house”.
The Jaish nor the Pakistan government have commented on the health of Masood Azhar after reports of his death surfaced all over the internet.
First, it could be a possibility that Pakistan media planted this story in the first place to cool down the international pressure over Pakistan. Second, since the government have close ties with the dreaded terrorists they should be in a position to comment on death and whereabouts.
Masood Azhar who is 50 years, was released by the NDA government in 1999 in exchange of hostages of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane IC-814. He is the mastermind of the 2001 Parliament attack, suicide attack on Jammu and Kashmir state assembly, attack on Pathankot IAF base and the latest Pulwama terror strike.
Meanwhile, US, the UK and France moved a fresh proposal in the UN Security Council to designate Azhar as a global terrorist, a listing that will subject him to global travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo.