• By Soumyaroop Mukherjee
  • Tue, 16 Sep 2025 08:07 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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India has always accused Pakistan of being a ‘terror-sponsoring nation’, which Islamabad has categorically denied. But the recent claims by a top commander of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, have once again pointed fingers at the state for harbouring these elements. Ilyas is accused of multiple terror attacks on India, including the attacks in Pathankot and Uri in 2016.

Speaking at the 38th Annual Mission Mustafa Conference at Central Eidgah in Garhi Habibullah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Sunday, the top JeM commander urged followers to support jihad and recounted what he described as the Pakistan Army's role in backing JeM. A close aide of Masood Azhar, Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, reflected upon the sacrifices endured by Azhar during the Indian Army’s Operation Sindoor.

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"Embracing terrorism, we fought Delhi, Kabul, and Kandahar to protect the borders of this country (Pakistan). After sacrificing everything, on May 7, Maulana Masood Azhar's family was torn apart by Indian forces in Bahawalpur," he further added during the conference.

The JeM terrorist’s remarks came during a religious gathering in Balakot, focusing on the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad. However, the conference came into the limelight over the anti-India and pro-Jihadi sentiments discussed there.

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According to a report by NDTV, thousands from the town of Gadi Habibullah attended the event. Prominent Islamic scholars thronged the conference, representing different schools of thought in Islam.

One of the highlights of the conference was the speech of Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, who hailed Masood Azhar as a “global symbol of resistance, discussed by the world powers like Moscow and America.”

During his speech, Masood Ilyas Kashmiri cried foul over India’s move to label Masood Azhar as a terrorist, claiming that his struggles and sacrifices for the last 25 years have been directed towards ideological borders.