The Taliban’s statement came after a Pakistani news channel reported that Islamabad had asked Afghanistan to trace and arrest Jaish-e-Mohammed chief
The Taliban establishment in Kabul on Wednesday denied allegations that JeM chief Masood Azhar has sought asylum in Afghanistan and stated that it will not let any "armed opposition" groups to operate from Afghan territory.
Following a report in Pakistani media that the Foreign Office in Islamabad had asked the Taliban to track down and arrest Azhar, the Taliban's foreign ministry released the explanation. According to the letter sent by Pakistan, Azhar is believed to be in Kunar or Nangarhar provinces of Afghanistan, according to Geo News channel.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, took to Twitter and wrote, “IEA-MoFA rejects media reports asserting that Jaish-e-Mohammed group leader, Masood Azhar, has sought refuge in Afghanistan. We reiterate that IEA does not allow any armed oppositions in its territory to operate against any other country.”
The statement further added, “We also call on all parties to refrain from such allegations lacking any proof and documentation. Such media allegations can adversely affect bilateral relations.”
The development came about a month before the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary meeting, which is expected to make a decision on removing Pakistan from the multilateral watchdog's "grey list" of countries under enhanced monitoring for failing to combat terror financing and money laundering.
Pakistan has been facing pressure from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to take action against some UN-designated terrorists if they want to get out of the grey list.
According to several media reports, “Masood Azhar continues to publish articles on Pakistani social media network urging JeM cadres to engage in jihad & praising the Taliban takeover of Kabul, claiming that Taliban victory would open windows for Muslim victories elsewhere.”
Azhar founded the JeM after Indian authorities exchanged him and two other terrorists for the passengers of an Indian Airlines flight hijacked from Kathmandu to Kandahar in December 1999.
Earlier this year, at a FATF meeting, Western nations backed India's plea for action against 30 top terrorist leaders, including Azhar, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed, and LeT operator Sajid Mir.
Before police verified Mir's arrest earlier this year, Pakistan had claimed for months that he was dead. Mir was later convicted under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act for belonging to the proscribed LeT, generating cash for the group, and supplying funds for terrorist activities.
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 "Image Credit: PTI")
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