India deplores Pakistan permission for Jaish-e Mohammed Chief to address anti-India rally

India has deplored that Pakistan government has allowed Jaish-e Mohammed Chief Masood Azhar, who has been accused of planning the attack on the Parliament in December 2001, to address an anti-India rally in January.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said that Azhar's organisation has been banned in India, the United States and United Nations, but he is still holding rallies against India in various parts of Pakistan.

He added that, "The ministry is concerned that a terrorist who is banned is able to spew venom on India.

He further said that India had Zero tolerance towards terrorism.

Azhar was arrested in Kashmir in 1994 while travelling on a forged Portuguese passport.

He was freed later in return for 155 passengers held hostage in an Indian Airlines aircraft that was hijacked to southern Afghanistan.

One of the other freed militants was British-born Omar Sheikh, a close associate of Azhar who was later convicted in the 2002 abduction and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl.

After his release, Azhar set up the Jaish to fight Indian forces in Kashmir, the Himalayan region claimed by both countries and the trigger for two of their three wars.

Twice since the end of December, authorities have issued an airport security alert, warning of an attempt by members of Jaish-e-Mohammad to hijack a plane, with smaller airfields most at risk.

Officials have said the alerts followed reports of increased activity by Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of the outlawed militant group.