In a development that has cast a stark human dimension over the recent escalation between India and Pakistan, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar has publicly acknowledged the death of ten members of his family and four close associates in the Indian military’s airstrikes under Operation Sindoor. The targeted attacks, carried out in the early hours of May 7, struck several terror facilities across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including what Indian authorities identified as the JeM headquarters at Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur.
In a statement laced with religious overtones and militant rhetoric, Azhar referred to the deceased as “guests of Allah,” and expressed no remorse or anger over the loss. Among the 14 killed, he named his elder sister, her husband, a niece and her husband, a nephew, and five children. His words, broadcast through JeM’s internal networks, were part eulogy, part defiance: “Ten members of my family were blessed with this happiness together tonight… Five are innocent children, my elder sister, her honorable husband… my beloved scholar niece… my dear brother Huzaifah and his mother. Two more dear companions.”
He added, “Rather, it comes to my heart again and again that I too would have joined this fourteen-member happy caravan.” Azhar concluded his statement by calling for funeral prayers, scheduled for today, in Bahawalpur—a town long regarded by global intelligence agencies as a nerve centre of jihadist operations in South Asia.
The confirmation of such high-profile fatalities—especially within Azhar’s immediate family—marks a significant moment in India’s evolving counter-terrorism strategy. Indian defence officials have yet to issue a direct response to Azhar’s claims. However, military sources previously stated that the Bahawalpur strike, one of the nine carried out during Operation Sindoor, had successfully neutralized top-tier leadership of proscribed terror organisations, including JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Azhar’s confirmation also underscores the deep-rooted reality that these terror outfits often intertwine ideology with family legacy. Known to operate as tightly-knit, almost dynastic organisations, groups like JeM have historically drawn upon familial and tribal networks for recruitment, loyalty, and secrecy. Azhar himself has been the face of this structure for over two decades.
Masood Azhar, 56, is not merely a militant leader—he is a figure synonymous with India’s modern history of terrorism. Designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations Security Council, he has been implicated in some of the most devastating terror attacks on Indian soil. These include the 2001 assault on India’s Parliament, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase siege, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing that killed 40 Indian paramilitary personnel. Despite international pressure, Pakistan has repeatedly denied any knowledge of his whereabouts, even as he continues to communicate from within its borders.
Bahawalpur, the city where the airstrike took place, has for years been flagged in Indian and Western intelligence reports as JeM’s ideological and operational hub. The Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah, reportedly hit by Indian missiles, is more than just a mosque; it doubles as a seminary, a training ground, and, according to multiple sources, a command and control centre for the group. For India, its targeting was both symbolic and strategic—an assertion of zero tolerance toward safe havens for terror across the Line of Control.
Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people, including one Nepali national, has been described by Indian officials as a “measured, proportionate, and non-escalatory” action. The campaign involved precision air and ground-launched missiles striking nine locations believed to house terror infrastructure. While Pakistan has accused India of violating its sovereignty and targeting civilian structures, New Delhi maintains that all sites hit were confirmed as terror facilities and that extensive measures were taken to avoid civilian casualties.
Azhar’s statement, while devoid of political admission, adds a layer of confirmation that Indian strikes may have achieved deeper strategic objectives than previously understood. By striking not only operational targets but also the personal networks that sustain militant leadership, India appears to be reshaping its doctrine—not just to punish, but to dismantle.
The ripple effects of these strikes—both geopolitical and psychological—are already being felt. For a figure like Azhar, whose survival has long symbolized impunity and state complicity, the loss of close family members in a cross-border strike introduces a rare moment of vulnerability.
It also raises the stakes. Whether this admission leads to internal shifts within JeM or provokes retaliatory escalations remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that Operation Sindoor has delivered a message whose reach may extend beyond military corridors—into the deeply personal sanctums of the very ideologues it was designed to deter.
This article is auto-generated from a syndicated news feed and has been edited for clarity and global publication.
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