A top Pakistani official has denied rumours about the death of Masood Azhar, chief of the banned-outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).
“All I can say is that reports in the media about Masood Azhar’s death are not true,” an official told Gulf News. He said Azhar is not dead as rumours are being spread on social media.
Unconfirmed reports have emerged in the Indian media and social media that the JeM Chief Masood Azhar is dead. The reports claimed that Azhar was seriously injured during the air strike carried out by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Balakot. But Pakistani officials categorically denied reports of his being injured in the air strike.
Earlier, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi admitted that Azhar is in Pakistan and is “very unwell”.
Qureshi’s remarks during a CNN interview on Thursday came after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, the captured Indian Air Force pilot, would be released on Friday as a “peace gesture”.
