The chairman of Pakistan People's Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated that the government in Islamabad doesn’t currently have information about where United Nations designated terror suspect Massoud Azhar could be located suggesting possibility for him being present somewhere within Afghan borders.
Regarding Masood Azhar, we haven’t been able to locate or confirm his identity due to his background linked to the Afghan jihad. We believe he’s currently in Afghanistan,” Bhutto stated in an interview with Al Jazeera.
When questioned about continuing U.S. worries, such as a 2022 State Department report stating that Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed still remain active within Pakistan, Bhutto replied: "I could argue against that point with you. However, let’s just say we’ve moved past that stage."
He emphasized that Pakistan had fulfilled the stringent criteria set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), highlighting the conviction of people involved in terrorism funding and the confiscation of more than 90 entities connected to militant groups.
Regarding Hafiz Saeed, another individual of concern to India, Bhutto firmly rejected claims that he was at liberty. "That's not accurate... He remains under the control of the Pakistani authorities," he stated.
Amid increasing global attention on Pakistan's efforts to combat terrorism, the ex-Pakistani foreign minister made these remarks, which follow closely after the release of the Global Terrorism Index 2025 ranking the country as the second most impacted by terrorism worldwide.
The Global Terrorism Index noted a 45% rise in terror-linked fatalities in Pakistan, attributing the spike to the increasing strength of extremist outfits near the Afghan frontier.