Pakistan must handover Masood Azhar to India: BJP

Srinagar, Sep 15: BJP J&K spokesman Altaf Thakur on Tuesday termed Pakistan’s latest claims surrounding Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar a “big fraud” and said Islamabad cannot escape accountability by merely declaring one of its most notorious terrorists a fugitive.
Thakur said Masood Azhar has not “fled” anywhere and alleged that he continues to remain in Pakistan under the protection of the establishment. He demanded that Islamabad stop playing games and hand over Azhar to India, where he is wanted in connection with major terror cases.
“Pakistan’s attempt to portray Masood Azhar as a fugitive is nothing but a big fraud and an exercise in deception. He has not disappeared from Pakistan; he is there, and Pakistan knows exactly where he is. If Islamabad is genuinely serious about fighting terrorism, it should hand him over to India instead of issuing statements and announcing rewards,” Thakur said.
His remarks come after Pakistan listed Azhar among its most-wanted terrorists and raised the reward for information leading to his arrest. The move has been reported ahead of an upcoming FATF review, prompting questions over whether Islamabad’s action is substantive or intended to demonstrate compliance under international scrutiny.
Thakur said the timing of the move was significant, arguing that Pakistan was facing mounting international pressure over its record on terrorism following the successful BRICS Summit hosted by India.
“The successful BRICS Summit in India has once again exposed Pakistan’s terror ecosystem before the international community. The message coming from the summit is unambiguous—there can be no double standards on terrorism and no safe haven for terrorists,” he said.
The New Delhi Declaration adopted at the summit condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and reiterated BRICS’ commitment to zero tolerance towards terrorism, including action against terrorist safe havens and financing.
Thakur said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consistent policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism was yielding results and that India had succeeded in shifting the international debate from “terrorism as a bilateral issue” to a global security challenge.
“Prime Minister Modi has made it clear that terrorism cannot be justified, romanticised or differentiated on the basis of who commits it or where it is committed. Terrorists, their handlers, financiers and those providing them shelter must all be held accountable,” he said.
He said India would no longer accept the old practice of terrorist organisations operating from Pakistani soil while Islamabad denied responsibility or claimed ignorance.
“India has suffered enough because of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. The era when terrorists could attack India and then disappear across the border is over. The international community is increasingly recognising that terrorism cannot be defeated unless its infrastructure, financing, recruitment networks and safe havens are dismantled,” Thakur said.
He said the BRICS declaration was an important diplomatic achievement for India because even countries with differing strategic interests had joined the call for zero tolerance towards terrorism. “This is the strength of India’s diplomacy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.
Thakur also called upon Pakistan to demonstrate its sincerity through action rather than announcements.
“If Pakistan really wants to prove that it has changed, let it act against Masood Azhar and other internationally designated terrorists. Let it dismantle terror infrastructure operating from its territory. Let it stop using terrorism as an instrument of state policy. Until that happens, its claims will remain nothing more than a fraud on the international community,” he said.
He added that India’s position was clear: “Terrorism and talks cannot go together, terror and diplomacy cannot coexist, and no country can expect immunity for harbouring terrorists.”
“India will continue to fight terrorism with full determination and will work with the international community to ensure that those who mastermind attacks, provide funding or shelter terrorists are brought to justice,” Thakur said.