The deadly attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001, was carried out twenty-two years ago. Masood Azhar Alvi, the leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) who is suspected of being the mastermind of the attack, is said to still reside in Islamabad, Pakistan, with the apparent protection of the country’s deep state.
Azhar, 55, hardly ever leaves his tightly guarded home, not even to visit his seminary, Markaz-e-Usman-o-Ali, in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. This solitude, along with allegedly high-level protection, raises concerns about his sustained influence and potential threat to regional stability.
Even though JeM is officially prohibited in Pakistan and has been labelled as a terrorist organisation by the UN Security Council, the group is nonetheless able to operate quite freely in the nation. Because of this apparent contradiction, Pakistan has been accused of harbouring and shielding Azhar, despite international demands to take immediate action against him.
Al Qaeda and JeM were linked to two unsuccessful attempts in December 2003 to kill then-President Pervez Musharraf. The group has also changed its name; it was once known as Khuddamul Islam. This was done in an effort to evade restrictions on its operations.
The vicious attack on Parliament serves as a sobering reminder of both the broad reach of terrorism and the vulnerability of democratic institutions. Even though India has moved forward, the effects of that day still remain in the two countries’ relationship.
