India says Pakistan gave full freedom to Masood Azhar

India has accused Pakistan of giving “full freedom” to international terrorist Masood Azhar and his organization Jaish-e-Mohammed, which carried out the attack at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir killing at least 40 CRPF personnel on Thursday.

New Delhi also vowed to take “all necessary measures” to safeguard national security. It also sent out a tacit message to China asking it to drop its policy of shielding terrorists based in Pakistan from international sanctions.

“This heinous and despicable act has been perpetrated by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Pakistan-based and supported terrorist organisation proscribed by the United Nations and other countries,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a late night statement.

“This terror group (JeM) is led by the international terrorist Masood Azhar, who has been given full freedom by Government of Pakistan to operate and expand his terror infrastructure in territories under the control of Pakistan and to carry out attacks in India and elsewhere with impunity.”

Raveesh Kumar, the spokesperson of the MEA, said that the Government of India was “firmly and resolutely committed” to take “all necessary measures to safeguard national security”.

“We are equally resolved to fight against the menace of terrorism. We demand that Pakistan stop supporting terrorists and terror groups operating from their territory and dismantle the infrastructure operated by terrorist outfits to launch attacks in other countries.”

New Delhi has been trying to get JeM chief Masood Azhar designated as an international terrorist by the United Nations. China, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has been persistently blocking the process to designate him as a terrorist linked to global terror networks of the Al Qaeda, Islamic State and others.