Kabul Rejects Pakistan's Claim, Says Masood Azhar Is Not in Afghanistan

The Taliban-led Afghan administration has rejected Pakistan’s repeated claims that Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) founder Masood Azhar is operating from Afghanistan, with a senior Afghan Foreign Ministry official stating that the militant leader is not present in the country. Kabul has also reiterated that Afghan territory will not be permitted to be used for activities against another country. The statement comes as Pakistan faces continued international scrutiny over its efforts to combat terrorist organisations, their leadership and terror financing.

Islamabad has maintained for years that Azhar crossed into Afghanistan in May 2019 and has remained there. Pakistan's position has attracted renewed attention as international authorities continue to examine the country's compliance with measures aimed at disrupting terrorist networks and their financial operations.

Azhar remains wanted in India in connection with several major terror attacks, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. The United Nations Security Council designated him a global terrorist in May 2019.

Pakistan was placed on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list from 2018 to 2022 over deficiencies related to anti-money-laundering measures and countering terror financing. As part of the process to leave the grey list, Islamabad was required to take action against organisations including JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba and their leadership.

Azhar was convicted in absentia by a Pakistani court in 2021. However, Islamabad has continued to maintain that he is not in Pakistan and had reportedly fled across the Durand Line into Afghanistan. The Taliban administration had also denied Azhar's presence in Afghanistan in 2022. At that time, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Azhar was not in Afghanistan and indicated that Pakistan had not provided sufficient evidence of his presence there.

The latest rejection from Kabul could add further pressure to questions surrounding Pakistan's handling of Azhar and its broader commitments on counter-terror financing and action against designated militant leaders. The dispute also highlights continuing tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over allegations involving militant groups and the use of Afghan territory for cross-border activities.