Ever since his arrival in Pakistan after being released from an Indian prison in exchange for the hostages aboard the hijacked IC 814, Maulana Masood Azhar has taken jehadi groups in Pakistan by storm. After his first press conference in Karachi, Masood announced the formation of a new group, the Jaish-e-Mohammad, and invited other militant organisations to gather under this platform.
But this didnt happen, for two reasons. The dozen or so jehadi organisations operating out of Pakistan are divided on sectarian lines and then they dont trust the maulana. An angered Azhar then went on a rampage against his own parent party, the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, formerly the Harkat-ul-Ansar, by fuelling a rebellion among its rank and file.
Militant sources say the rebellion was so sudden that within a few weeks, the maulana not only took over the offices of Harkat-ul- Mujahideen but also the training centres and launching pads (places along the LoC from where militants cross over), which were earlier under the command of Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil.
The maulana has been successful in organising a formidable militant wing of his own, much to the displeasure of other jehadi groups. Azhar is also causing trouble for the Pakistani government by his inflammatory speeches against the US. Indeed, the local administration of many cities have banned his entry fearing a law and order problem.
But, at the moment, it appears as if the maulana is uncontrollable. In Karachi, the administration was twice put on alert after reports that the maulana had quietly sneaked into the city. And on August 14, Pakistans independence day, Masood Azhar managed to organise a rally of thousands of supporters in Karachi. A significant number of those who participated were armed.
The maulana is backed by one of Pakistans biggest madarsas, Jamia Uloom Islamia, commonly known as Binnori Town Mosque, which over the years has produced hundreds of jehadis to fight in Afghanistan and Kashmir. And that is perhaps the source of his strength.
