Fugitive jihadist commander Masood Azhar has resurfaced after more than two decades, delivering a fiery speech to the cadre of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM). The address, announced on a JeM-operated online forum on Tuesday, marks Azhar’s first confirmed appearance in years and signals renewed terror threats. The speech commemorated the centennial of the dissolution of the Turkish caliphate in 1924, with Azhar vowing jihadist operations against India and Israel to establish a global Islamic caliphate.

While Jaish-linked platforms have periodically released old speeches by Azhar, this is the first that can be conclusively dated due to references to the ongoing Gaza war. The exact timing and location of the address remain undisclosed, but Indian intelligence sources believe it took place late last month at the 1,000-acre Umm-ul-Qura seminary and mosque complex near Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

Despite Pakistani authorities claiming administrative control of the complex in 2019, locals report that JeM has erected new structures and posted armed guards to prevent unauthorised entry. “India, your death is coming,” Azhar declared repeatedly, drawing loud applause from his audience.

Azhar’s speech included calls for transnational violence and accusations against global leaders. “Fearful rulers who do not believe in the word of Allah and jihad have led us to defeat in Kashmir, Palestine and other Muslim lands,” he said. “I am ashamed that a weakling like Modi challenges us, or a mouse like Netanyahu dances on our graves.” He invoked the Babri Masjid dispute, asking, “Are there not even 300 people who can fight to reclaim my Babri Masjid?”

Azhar also referred to Sirajuddin Haqqani, Afghanistan’s Minister of Internal Affairs and a US-designated terrorist. He claimed Haqqani had a vision of an army marching to Palestine, only to find JeM forces already present.

Historically, Azhar has been closely linked to al-Qaeda. He worked alongside its commanders in Somalia in 1993 and reportedly held meetings with Osama bin Laden in Kenya and Saudi Arabia. CIA documents reveal that Harkat-ul-Ansar, Azhar’s earlier group, received monthly financial support of $30,000–$60,000 from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The timing of Azhar’s speech has raised questions about Pakistan’s intentions. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto had claimed in 2022 that Azhar had escaped to Afghanistan ahead of efforts to declare him a proclaimed offender. However, this declaration coincided with Pakistan’s successful bid to be removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) terror financing watchlist.

Even though Pakistani authorities had previously announced Azhar’s detention, the circumstances of his release and purported travel to Afghanistan remain opaque. His public appearances ceased after a 2003 assassination attempt on General Pervez Musharraf by a JeM splinter group.

Azhar’s speech comes shortly after a closed-door India-Pakistan conference in Muscat, hosted by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, to discuss diplomatic engagement. The meeting saw participation from officials of both nations, BJP and Congress representatives, and observers from the US and China.

“A new government is about to take power in the United States and Islamabad could be trying to draw it into a country that has been largely ignored for the last four years, by creating crisis atmospherics,” a senior Indian intelligence officer told ThePrint.

Sources noted that little progress was made during the discussions. India’s representatives stated that the Modi government saw minimal hope of resuming meaningful dialogue while Pakistan remains embroiled in internal power struggles. They also made clear that concessions sought by Pakistan on Kashmir, such as restoring constitutional special status to the Union Territory, were unlikely to be considered.

Prominent participants in the meeting included MEA Joint Secretary J.P. Singh, his Pakistani counterpart Mehmood Nizami, Congress MP Manish Tewari, RSS leader Ram Madhav, and Pakistan People’s Party Vice-President Sherry Rehman.

Azhar’s re-emergence and his inflammatory rhetoric signal a dangerous escalation in JeM’s activities. His assertions along with ongoing geopolitical tensions, pose significant challenges for South Asia’s stability and international counter-terrorism efforts.