Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) Chief Masood AzharOn December 31, 1999, Masood Azhar, a top commander of Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), was released in exchange for passengers of IC-814 flight hijacked by Pakistani militants. Read | Delhi’s dossier on Masood Azhar: Pathankot to Pulwama, his fingerprintsAdvertisingHis father, a disciple of Deobandi school of thought, sent Azhar to a seminary in Karachi. In October 1994, four foreign tourists were kidnapped from New Delhi and the abductors sought the release of 10 militants, including Masood Azhar. In July 1995, Al Faran kidnapped five foreign tourists from Kashmir and demanded release of Azhar in return. They later scaled down the demands to release of Azhar, Kashmiri militant commander Mushtaq Ahmad Zargar and Omar Saeed Sheikh.

Source: Indian Express May 01, 2019 23:34 UTC