The Taliban government has rejected Pakistan’s repeated claim that Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Masood Azhar is hiding in Afghanistan, with a senior Afghan Foreign Ministry official saying the wanted terrorist is not in the country.

Kabul has also reiterated that Afghan soil will not be allowed to be used against other countries.

The statement comes as Pakistan faces renewed scrutiny over its record on tackling terrorism and terror financing. Islamabad has for years maintained that Azhar crossed into Afghanistan after fleeing Pakistan, but the Taliban has previously denied that he is on Afghan soil.

Pakistan says Masood Azhar fled to Afghanistan

Pakistan has claimed that Masood Azhar crossed the Durand Line into Afghanistan in May 2019 and has remained at large since then.

The Taliban government, however, has consistently rejected the claim. In September 2022, a spokesperson for the Taliban said Azhar was not in Afghanistan and that Pakistan had not made any formal communication to Kabul about his alleged presence there.

The latest denial once again puts the spotlight on the whereabouts of the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief, who remains wanted in India in connection with several major terror attacks.

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Why Masood Azhar is wanted in India

Azhar is linked to some of the most high-profile terror attacks targeting India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama bombing.

The United Nations Security Council designated him a global terrorist in May 2019.

Pakistan also convicted Azhar in absentia in 2021, as part of measures it undertook while attempting to address international concerns over terrorism and terror financing.

Pakistan’s FATF scrutiny adds pressure

The dispute over Azhar's whereabouts also comes against the backdrop of Pakistan's long-running engagement with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Pakistan was placed on the FATF grey list from 2018 to 2022 over deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing systems.

Among the concerns were Pakistan’s failure to effectively curb terror financing linked to groups including Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, along with shortcomings in enforcing financial sanctions against UN-designated individuals.

To leave the grey list, Pakistan was required to take several measures, including action against JeM and LeT, their affiliated fronts and their leadership.

Pakistan was removed from the grey list in 2022, with the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) continuing to review certain aspects of its progress.

One of the issues under review has been Pakistan’s efforts to arrest Azhar.

According to people tracking FATF-related developments, Pakistan has since come under criticism for failing to follow through on some of the assurances it gave while seeking removal from the grey list.

Pakistan has maintained that it cannot arrest Azhar because he is no longer in the country and had escaped into Afghanistan.

The Taliban’s latest position directly contradicts that claim, with Kabul saying Masood Azhar is not in Afghanistan.

The whereabouts of the JeM founder therefore remain disputed, with Pakistan pointing to Afghanistan and the Taliban denying that Azhar is on Afghan territory.

With PTI inputs