TERROR NETWORK RESURFACES UNDER ISI'S BENIGN WATCH

Masood Azhar’s sudden visibility coincides with a period of improving US-Pakistan ties, which, analysts say, gives Islamabad the confidence to tolerate the revival of an old proxy without fear of immediate diplomatic costs.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Masood Azhar, the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed and a longtime asset of Pakistan's military establishment, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has reemerged in public view after years of silence. His speeches and audio messages, now circulating through JeM-linked social-media channels, call for fresh recruitment and renewed jihad, including the creation of a women’s wing led by his sister Sadiya Azhar.

Intelligence officials believe the broadcasts are not meant solely for JeM’s followers but are deliberately designed to be noticed by Indian and Western observers—including journalists and analysts tracking South Asian militancy. “Both Jaish and its backers in Rawalpindi know exactly who is watching,” said a senior counter-terror official. “These messages are crafted as much for the enemy's ears as for their own cadre.”