Islamabad: Complying with the increased up international pressure on Islamabad to take stern action against terrorist groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistani authorities barred Jaish-e- Mohammad (JeM) leader Maulana Masood Azhar from addressing a conference in Peshawar on May 30.

But it was reported by 'The News' later that the dreaded terrorist delivered a sermon during regular (Friday) prayers at a local mosque. He praised al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and Taliban's spiritual leader Mullah Omar as "heroes".

According to the report, Azhar said the two leaders deserved admiration as they didn't bow before the U.S. "They demonstrated supreme courage and tenacity by doing so," he added.

The conference was organised by Khudamul Islam which, the police informed, is a new version of JeM.

It was the second time, in less than a month, that the authorities checked the activities of Maulana Masood Azhar. The sudden clamp down on activities of the banned terrorist groups in Pakistan has come in the wake of continuous pressure mounted by the US, to stop cross-border terrorism against India.

Though Pakistani authorities have kept a tab on Azhar's movements, the seriousness could be gauged from the fact that Hafiz Saeed, chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), another banned terrorist outfit, has been addressing rallies and urging continuation of `jihad' against Indian rule in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

ANI