“India Will Have To Pay Back”: Jaish Leader In Leaked Audio Confirms Balakot Air Strike; Calls For Jihad Against India

A leaked audio clip shared by Journalist Taha Siddiqui of Masood Azhar’s brother addressing a gathering has now verified India’s assertions that IAF fighter jets struck JeM training camps deep inside Pakistan.

Siddiqui tweeted the leaked audio recording on Saturday (2 March) in which Jaish-e-Mohammad leader is seen invoking Jihad against India for targeting JeM camps in Balakot.

Though the full confession address of Maulana Ammar, younger brother of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar, is 14 minutes 32 seconds long, Siddiqui’s nearly two-minute clip contains the essential part.

JeM, a terrorist outfit backed by Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for the 14 February (2019) suicide attack in Kashmir which killed 44 CRPF jawans. Following this on 26 February, Indian Indian Air Force fighter jets infiltrated into Pakistan and destroyed training camps of the organisation. However, Pakistan has continued to deny that Indian planes caused any material damage to the camps.

However, in the clip Maulana Ammar accepts that Indian planes struck the Madrasa in Balakot which was used to train new jihadists. He then criticises Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan for releasing IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman.

The IAF pilot was captured by Pakistan when India fighter jets retaliated against Pakistani intrusion into Indian airspace a day after the Balakot strike.

Maulana Ammar notes, "Imran Khan has caused us embarrassment by releasing the Indian pilot. We won't forgive him." He then gives a rousing call to all Pakistanis in joining him in spreading jihad. "India will have to pay back for this action," he proclaims.

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