India asks Pakistan to take strong action against Masood Azhar

India on Friday demanded strong action from Pakistan against Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, after a report emerged that he delivered a speech recently at a public gathering in Bahawalpur.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said if the report is correct, it has exposed Pakistan's "duplicity" in containing terrorist activities.

"We demand that strong action be taken against him (Azhar) and he should be brought to justice. There has been denial that he is not there in Pakistan," Jaiswal said.

"If the reports are correct, then it exposes the duplicity of Pakistan. Masood Azhar is involved in cross-border terror attacks on India and we want that strong action be taken against him," he added.

Jaiswal made the remarks in response to a question at his weekly media briefing.