Muhammad Masood Azhar Alvi (born 10 July or 7 August 1968) is a Pakistani militant leader, who is the founder and current leader of militant organisation
Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based Islamic
Deobandi jihadist organisation. His actions are not limited to the
South Asian
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
region; for instance, ''
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
'' described him as "the man who brought jihad to Britain".
["Masood Azhar: The man who brought jihad to Britain"](_blank)
(5 April 2016), ''BBC News''. Retrieved 6 April 2020. On 1 May 2019, he was listed as an international terrorist by the
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
.
Early life
Muhammad Masood Azhar Alvi
was born in
Bahawalpur
Bahawalpur (Urdu: ; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 13th largest city of Pakistan and List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 8th most populous city of Punjab. Bahawalpur is the capital of Bahawalpur Division.
Founded in ...
, Punjab, Pakistan on 10 July 1968
(although some sources list his birth date as 7 August 1968
[
]) as the third of 11 children. Azhar's father, Allah Bakhsh Shabbir, was the
headmaster at a government-run school as well as a cleric with
Deobandi
The Deobandi movement or Deobandism is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that adheres to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. It was formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the nam ...
leanings, and his family operated a dairy and poultry farm.
Azhar dropped out of mainstream school after class 8 and joined the
Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia
Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia (, ''Jāmiā Ulūm-i Islāmīyā'' / , ''Jāmi‘at-ul-‘Ulūm-ul-Islāmīyah'') is an Islamic University in Binori Town, Banoori Town, Karachi, Pakistan. The university continues the tradition of the Darul Uloom system ...
, from where he graduated out in 1989 as an ''alim'' and was soon appointed as a teacher''.''
Harkat-ul-Ansar
The madrasa was heavily involved with
Harkat-ul-Ansar and Azhar was subsequently assumed under its folds, after being enrolled for a
jihad training camp in Afghanistan.
Despite failing to complete the course; he joined the
Soviet–Afghan War
The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...
and retired after suffering injuries. Thereafter, he was chosen as the head of Harkat's department of motivation. He was also entrusted with the editorial responsibilities for the
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
-language magazine ''Sad'e Mujahidin'' and the
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
-language ''Sawte Kashmir''.
Azhar later became the
general secretary
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...
of Harkat-ul-Ansar and visited many international locations to recruit, to raise funds and to spread the message of
Pan-Islamism
Pan-Islamism () is a political movement which advocates the unity of Muslims under one Islamic country or state – often a caliphate – or an international organization with Islamic principles. Historically, after Ottomanism, which aimed at ...
. Among his destinations were
Zambia
Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...
,
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
,
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and
Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
.
Azhar confessed that in 1993 he traveled to
Nairobi
Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
, Kenya to meet with leaders of
al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, an
al-Qaeda
, image = Flag of Jihad.svg
, caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
, founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden
, leaders = {{Plainlist,
* Osama bin Lad ...
-aligned Somali group, who had requested money and recruits from
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM). Indian intelligence officials believe that he made at least three trips to
Somalia
Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
and that he also helped bring
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
i mercenaries to Somalia.
[
]
In August 1993, Azhar entered the United Kingdom for a speaking, fundraising, and recruitment tour. His message of
jihad
''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...
was given at some of Britain's most prestigious Islamic institutions, including the
Darul Uloom Bury seminary, Zakariya Mosque, Madina Masjid in Blackburn and Burnley, and
Jamia Masjid. His message was that "substantial proportion of the
Koran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
had been devoted to 'killing for the sake of
Allah
Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...
' and that a substantial volume of sayings of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
were on the issue of jihad." Azhar made contacts in Britain who helped to provide training and logistical support for the terror plots, including "
7/7,
21/7 and the attempt in
2006 to smuggle liquid bomb-making substances on to transatlantic airlines."
Rashid Rauf, who was implicated in the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot, was married to a relative of Azhar.
Arrest in India
In early 1994, Azhar travelled to
Srinagar
Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
under a fake identity, to ease tensions between Harkat-ul-Ansar's feuding factions of
Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami and
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.
[ India arrested him in February from Khanabal near ]Anantnag
Anantnag ( ; ), also called Islamabad ( ; ), is the administrative headquarters of Anantnag district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "admi ...
and imprisoned him for his terrorist activities with the groups. On being arrested, he said "Soldiers of Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
have come from 12 countries to liberate Kashmir
Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
. We will answer your carbine
A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges.
The smaller size and ligh ...
s with rocket launcher
A rocket launcher is a weapon that launches an unguided, rocket-propelled projectile.
History
The earliest rocket launchers documented in imperial China consisted of arrows modified by the attachment of a rocket motor to the shaft a few i ...
s" He was imprisoned at the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar
Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
, Tihar Jail
Tihar Prisons, popularly known as Tihar Jail, are a prison complex in India and are one of the largest complexes of prisons in India. There are 9 functional prisons spread over more than 400 acres. Run by Department of Delhi Prisons, the prison ...
in Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
, and lastly the Kot Balwal Jail in Jammu
Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...
(from where he would eventually be released).
In July 1995, six foreign tourists were kidnapped in Jammu and Kashmir. The kidnappers, referring to themselves as Al-Faran (a pseudonym of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen), included the release of Masood Azhar among their demands.[ One of the hostages managed to escape whilst another was found in a decapitated state in August.] The others were never seen or heard from since 1995. FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
had interrogated Azhar multiple times during his jail-stay on the locus of the kidnappings.
In 1998, U.S.'s Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
(CIA) in its report stated, "HuA, an Islamic extremist organisation that Pakistan supports in its proxy war against Indian forces in Kashmir, increasingly is using terrorist tactics against Westerners and random attacks on civilians that could involve Westerners to promote its pan-Islamic agenda." CIA also stated that HuA had abducted at least 13 persons, of which 12 were from western countries, in the period from early 1994 to 1998.
Release after hijacking
Four years later, in December 1999, an Indian Airlines Flight 814
Indian Airlines Flight 814, commonly known as IC 814, was an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 that was Aircraft hijacking, hijacked on 24 December 1999 by five members of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. The passenger flight, en route from Tribhuvan Internat ...
(IC814) en route from Kathmandu
Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...
in Nepal to New Delhi
New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
was hijacked and eventually landed in Kandahar
Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
after being flown to multiple locations. Kandahar at that time was controlled by the Taliban
, leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders
, leader1_name = {{indented plainlist,
* Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013)
* Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016)
* Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
, which was supported by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence
The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is the premier Pakistani Intelligence community, intelligence agency of Pakistan. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing any information from around the world that is deemed relevant t ...
. Masood Azhar was one of the three militants demanded to be released in exchange for freeing the hostages. Subsequently, Azhar was freed by the Indian government
The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...
in a decision criticised by many including Ajit Doval
Ajit Kumar Doval, Kirti Chakra, KC (born 20 January 1945) is an Indian bureaucrat and spymaster, who is currently serving as the National Security Advisor of India since 2014. A retired Indian Police Service officer of the Kerala cadre, he had p ...
as a "diplomatic failure", and that no one worth any consequence was contacted either by the (then) foreign minister
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
(Jaswant Singh
Major Jaswant Singh (3 January 193827 September 2020) was an Indian Army officer and politician. He was one of the founding members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and was one of India's longest serving parliamenta ...
) or the (then) foreign secretary ( Lalit Mansingh), and as a consequence, the Indian ambassador could not even get inside the Abu Dhabi airport. The hijackers of IC814 were led by Masood Azhar's brother, Ibrahim Athar. His release from Kot Bhalwal jail was supervised by IPS officer, S. P. Vaid.[
] His younger brother Abdul Rauf Azhar had planned this attack. Once Masood Azhar was handed over to the hijackers, they fled to Pakistani territory. Pakistan had said the hijackers would be arrested if found. The Pakistani government also previously indicated that Azhar would be allowed to return home since he did not face any charges there.[
Shortly after his release, Azhar made a public address to an estimated 10,000 people in ]Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
. He proclaimed, "I have come here because this is my duty to tell you that Muslims should not rest in peace until we have destroyed India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
," vowing to liberate the Kashmir region from Indian rule.[
]
In 1999, after Masood's release, the Harkat-ul-Ansar was proscribed by the U.S. and added to the list of banned terrorist organisations. This move forced Harkat-ul-Ansar to change its name to the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM).
Jaish-e-Mohammed
Azhar planned to start a new outfit named Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). He reportedly received assistance from Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence
The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is the premier Pakistani Intelligence community, intelligence agency of Pakistan. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing any information from around the world that is deemed relevant t ...
(ISI), the Taliban
, leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders
, leader1_name = {{indented plainlist,
* Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013)
* Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016)
* Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
regime in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...
and multiple Sunni sectarian organisations based in Pakistan. JeM is run by Azhar's family like a family enterprise. Jamia Binoria madarsa linked JeM with the Afghan Taliban.
2001 Indian Parliament attack
Jaish-e-Mohammed carried out a string of deadly attacks against Indian targets, including the attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001 that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of a full-scale war. The terrorist
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
attack on the Parliament of India
The Parliament of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Government of India, Government of the Republic of India. It is a bicameralism, bicameral legislature composed of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok ...
in New Delhi happened on 13 December 2001. The perpetrators belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is a Pakistani Islamism, Islamist militant organization driven by a Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist ideology. The organisation's primary stated objective is to merge the whole of Kashmir with Pakistan. It was founded in 19 ...
(LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), both Pakistan-based terrorist organisations. The attack led to the deaths of five terrorists, six Delhi Police
The Delhi Police (DP) is the law enforcement agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Delhi Police falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. In 2024, the sanctioned strength of Delhi Police w ...
personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel and a gardenerin total 14and to increased tensions between India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, resulting in the 2001–02 India–Pakistan standoff.
Soon after the Indian parliament attack, on 29 December 2001, Masood Azhar was detained for a year by Pakistani authorities, after diplomatic pressure by India and the International community, in connection with the attack, but was never formally charged. The Lahore High Court ordered an end to the house arrest on 14 December 2002, much to the fury of India.[
] Azhar was never arrested after that.
2008 Mumbai attacks
On 7 December 2008, it was claimed that he was among several arrested by the Pakistani government after a military raid on a camp located on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad in connection with the 2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks, also referred to as 26/11 attacks, were a series of coordinated Islamic terrorism, Islamist terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist o ...
. He continued to live in Bhawalpur. Pakistan's government denied it had arrested Masood Azhar and said it was unaware of his whereabouts
On 26 January 2014, Azhar reappeared after a seclusion of two years. He addressed a rally in Muzaffarabad, calling for the resumption of jihad in Kashmir. In March 2014, a spokesperson of Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed that he was in Srinagar
Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
, India.
2016 Pathankot attack
The 2016 Pathankot attack on an Indian air base is said to have been masterminded by Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf Azhar. They were in direct touch with terrorists even after the attack had begun. Indian investigative agencies have given dossiers containing proofs of Azhar's complicity in the terror attack and also sought a second ʽ red corner noticeʼ from ʽInterpol
The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...
ʼ.
2019 Pulwama attack
On 14 February 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway was attacked by a vehicle-bound suicide bomber in Lethpora near Awantipora, Pulwama district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The attack resulted in the death of 44 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and the attacker. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammed. He approved the attacks from the Pakistani Army Hospital where he is under protective custody. After the attack, France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
moved a proposal at UN Security Council to ban Masood.
Sanctions
The U.S. Treasury is prohibiting Americans from "engaging in any transactions" with three Pakistan-based militants and a front group. Al Rehmat Trust, called "an operational front" for Jaish-e-Mohammed, was designated for providing support to and for acting for or on behalf of that group and Azhar was designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist
A Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) is a person or entity that has been designated as such by the United States Department of State or the U.S. Department of the Treasury. An SDGT designation is made under authority of U.S. Executive ...
on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List
The Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, also known as the SDN List, is a United States government sanctions/embargo measure targeting U.S.-designated terrorists, officials and beneficiaries of certain authoritarian regimes, a ...
for acting on behalf of the group.
The Chinese government blocked a UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
Sanctions Committee listing of Azhar as a terrorist, thwarting international efforts to disrupt the activities of his group.
Starting in 2009, there had been 4 attempts to put Masood Azhar on the UN Security Council's counter-terrorism sanctions list. All the attempts were vetoed by China, citing 'lack of evidence'. China moved to protect Azhar again in October 2016 when it blocked India's appeal to the United Nations to label him as a terrorist.
China also blocked the US move to get Azhar banned by the UN in February 2017. The most recent attempt was on 13 March 2019. However, China pulled the blockade in May 2019, finally resulting listing of Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee.
On 7 May 2025, India conducted missile strikes against terrorist camps in Pakistan, in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack, including Jaish-e-Mohammed's camp in Bahawalpur
Bahawalpur (Urdu: ; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 13th largest city of Pakistan and List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 8th most populous city of Punjab. Bahawalpur is the capital of Bahawalpur Division.
Founded in ...
. Masood Azhar reported the loss of ten family members, including his sister, nephew, nieces, and other close relatives.
Bibliography
Books and booklets by him
Described as a "prolific writer", he has authored some 20 books mainly on jihad
''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...
, including:
* ''Fatah-ul-Jawad'', described by scholar Ayesha Siddiqa as "his seminal work", it is a book on jihad "with two volumes of 2,000 pages each."
* ''Faz̤āʼil-i jihād, kāmil''. On the importance of Jihad; a 850-page commentary on ''Mashāriʻal-Ashwāq ilʹa-Maṣariʻ al-ʻUshshāq'' by the medieval scholar Ibn an-Naḥās. In 2002, it was estimated that some 20,000 copies of this book had been sold in Pakistan.
* ''Yahūd kī cālīs bīmāryān̲'' ("Forty Diseases Of The Jews"). Middle East Media Research Institute noted that it may be one of the most antisemitic books of the Urdu language
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
, with 424 pages and 440 Qur'anic verses quoted. He has criticized the whole of Judaism
Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
, calling it "another name for those beliefs, ideas, and practices which were invented by Satan
Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
."[Shrenik Rao (19 February 2019)]
"China Is Now Pakistan's Partner in Jihadist Terror"
''Haaretz''. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
* ''Muskurāte zak̲h̲m''. Political autobiography.
* ''K̲h̲ut̤bāt-i jihād''. Islamic sermons in two volumes on the eminence of Jihad according to the teachings of Islam.
* ''Rang o nūr''. Collected columns chiefly on jihad and criticising the Pakistani government for following United States policies.
* ''Jamāl-i Jamīl''. On the life of Muḥammd Jamīl K̲h̲ān, 1953–2004, a noted religious scholar.
* ''Zād-i mujāhid : maʻ maktūbāt-i k̲h̲ādim''. On the eminence, views and interpretation of Jihad.
* ''7 din raushnī ke jazīre par''. 7 Days comprehensive course on Islamic teaching.
* ''Tuḥfah-yi saʻādat''. Study of God's names in the Qur'an.
Books and booklets about him
* ''Maulānā Masʻūd Aẓhar, mujāhid yā dahshatgard'' by Muḥammad T̤āriq Maḥmūd Cug̲h̲tāʼī.
* ''Asīr-i Hind : Maulānā Masʻūd Aẓhar ke paidāʼish parvarish jihād men̲ shirkat'' by ʻAbdullāh Masʻūd.
See also
* Abdul Rauf Azhar
* Mullah Omar
* List of Deobandis
Notes
References
External links
BBC Profile (includes photos)
History Commons profile
China's move to block ban against Azhar came just before deadline
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azhar, Masood, Maulana
1968 births
Fugitives wanted by India
Fugitives wanted on terrorism charges
Leaders of jihadist groups
Living people
People from Bahawalpur
Deobandis
Critics of Judaism
People designated by the Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee
Pakistani people imprisoned abroad
Pakistani people imprisoned on terrorism charges
Pakistani expatriates in India
Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List
Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government
Pakistani Islamists
People of the Kashmir conflict
Kashmiri militants
People charged with terrorism
People of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Inmates of Tihar Jail
Pakistani expatriates in the United Kingdom
Pakistani expatriates in Afghanistan
Pakistani expatriates in Somalia
Pakistani conspiracy theorists
Punjabi people