Now, JeM chief Masood Azhar calls for 'jihad', links Kashmir unrest to Pathankot attacks

JeM chief Masood Azhar has joined the Kashmir chorus and made provocative speeches aimed at further fueling tension in violence-hit Kashmir Valley.

Jammu: After Jamaat-ud-Dawaah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen founder Syed Salahuddin, another top terror boss – Maulana Masood Azhar – has now called for jihad in Kashmir.

Azhar, the Jaish-E-Mohammed (JeM) chief, has joined the Kashmir chorus and made provocative speeches aimed at further fueling tension in violence-hit Kashmir Valley.

According to reports, Azhar, who is supposedly under protective custody in Pakistan, has even linked the Kashmir unrest to terror attacks in Pathankot.

In his latest message Azhar said "The strong Pathankot attacks lifted the spirits of Kashmiri youth and now the sacrifice of a Kashmiri has united the Kashmiri community, hence it is our responsibility to stand behind the Kashmiri Muslims, our lives are wasted if we can't help the jihad in Kashmir".

Masood Azhar's statement comes at a time when the Pakistani government is trying hard to make the unrest in Kashmir an international issue. 

While Pakistan PM's Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz has maintained that Masood Azhar has been under protective custody since January and an FIR has been registered in Pakistan against JeM for its alleged role in Pathankot air base attacks, Masood has been delivering his messages under pen name Saidi which is published in JeM's weekly mouthpiece.

Azhar further compared Burhan Wani with key conspirator of Parliament attack case Afzal Guru, and JeM terrorists Sajjad Afghani and Ghazi Baba, claimed a report by India Today.