Masood Azhar not in Afghanistan, Taliban rejects Pakistan claim amid terror probe

The Taliban regime has rejected Pakistan's repeated claims that Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Masood Azhar is operating from Afghanistan, with a senior Afghan Foreign Ministry official confirming that he is not in the country. Kabul also reiterated that Afghan territory will not be allowed to be used against any other nation.The issue has drawn attention as Pakistan faces continued scrutiny over its action against terror groups and their leaders. Azhar remains wanted in India in connection with major terror attacks, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama bombing.Islamabad has long maintained that Azhar fled to Afghanistan, especially as it came under pressure from the Financial Action Task Force to act against terror financing. The Paris-based watchdog is due to review Pakistan's anti-terror efforts at its upcoming plenary. Pakistan was on the FATF grey list from 2018 to 2022 because of systemic gaps in anti-money laundering measures and its failure to counter terror financing.According to people tracking FATF's actions, the main reasons included Pakistan's failure to curb terror financing linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba networks, as well as weak implementation of financial sanctions against people designated by the United Nations. To come off the grey list, Pakistan had to take several steps, including banning JeM and LeT and their front organisations, and securing convictions against their leaders. Azhar, who was designated a global terrorist by the UN Security Council in May 2019, was among those convicted in absentia by Pakistan in 2021.Pakistan was removed from the grey list in 2022 on the condition that the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering would continue to review its performance on specific points. One of the areas under review, at FATF's request, was Pakistan's continuing efforts to arrest Azhar. People following the process said that after coming off the grey list and facing less international pressure, Pakistan has backtracked on the assurances it gave to FATF. They said Pakistan has not taken steps to arrest Azhar, claiming he is not in the country. Islamabad has maintained that Azhar crossed the Durand Line in May 2019 and has remained at large since then.In September 2022, the Taliban government's spokesperson had also denied that Azhar was in Afghanistan or that Pakistan had sent any formal communication about his presence there.In sum, the Taliban has again denied Pakistan's claim that Azhar is in Afghanistan, even as Pakistan remains under review over its efforts to act against him and meet commitments linked to terror financing and enforcement.- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 9, 2026 11:57 IST