India Slams Pakistan for “State Funeral” of Terrorists Disguised as Civilians
- MGMMTeam
- May 9
- 4 min read
On May 8, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri rejected Pakistan's claim that civilians were killed during India's Operation Sindoor. He pointed to an incident where a designated terrorist attended the funeral of three militants killed in a strike on Wednesday morning.
Misri presented a photo showing Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a U.S.-designated global terrorist and senior Lashkar-e-Taiba commander, allegedly leading funeral prayers for those who died in the Indian missile attacks.
Misri found it peculiar that civilian funerals are conducted with coffins draped in Pakistani flags. “It's also odd that funerals of civilians are being carried out with coffins wrapped in their national flag, and state honours are being accorded. The individuals eliminated at these facilities were terrorists. Giving state funerals to terrorists may be a practice in Pakistan, but it doesn't seem to make much sense to us,” he said.
The funeral, which took place on Wednesday in Muridke—around 40 kilometers from Lahore—was also attended by members of the outlawed group Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), led by Hafiz Saeed, according to news agency PTI.
Operation Sindoor: Precision Strikes by India
On May 7, the Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes under the codename “Operation Sindoor,” targeting nine locations linked to terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. These strikes came as a response to the brutal terrorist attack in South Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, where 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed. The strikes were described by Indian authorities as highly selective and calculated. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri emphasized that the operations were directed solely at terrorist camps and infrastructure, not civilian areas. He said, “We have made the point very clearly that all attacks on the morning of May 7 were against carefully selected terrorist infrastructure, terrorist targets.” He added, “If only civilians, if any civilians were killed in these attacks, I wonder what message this picture actually sends to all of you. This is a question that is worth asking.”
Terrorists' Funerals Expose State Support
The funeral of the three terrorists — Qari Abdul Malik, Khalid, and Mudassir — who were killed in Muridke during the Indian strike, further exposed Pakistan’s links to terrorist networks. Held under heavy security near Lahore, the funeral was attended by members of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), a banned terrorist organization, and led by JuD’s Hafiz Abdul Rauf. More shockingly, personnel from the Pakistan Army and members of the civil bureaucracy were also present. Tabish Qayyum, spokesperson of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League — a political offshoot of JuD — confirmed their attendance. Misri remarked, “It’s also odd that the funerals of civilians are carried out with the coffins being draped in Pakistani flags and state honours being accorded. As far as we are concerned, individuals eliminated at these facilities were terrorists. Giving terrorists state funerals may be a practice in Pakistan.” He added, “It doesn’t seem to make much sense to us.”
India Rejects Civilian Casualty Claims
Rejecting Pakistan's accusations that civilian areas and religious sites were hit, the Indian government reiterated that the targets were limited strictly to terrorist infrastructure. Vikram Misri said, “I have made it clear that the targets were terrorist infrastructure, terrorist facilities, and locations connected clearly with incidents of cross-border terrorism into India.” He added, “This claim that religious places were attacked is completely false again.” Misri also accused Pakistan of hiding behind religion, stating, “It is, in fact, Pakistan that is misusing religious sites as a cover to, in fact, radicalise, direct and indoctrinate and train terrorists.”
Pakistan's Image as a Global Terror Hub
India doubled down on its assertion that Pakistan continues to be a hub for international terrorism. This was underscored by Pakistan’s refusal to acknowledge the role of The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy, in the Pahalgam attack — even after the group claimed responsibility twice. Misri said, “This was after the TRF claimed responsibility for Pahalgam not once but twice.” At a recent closed-door session of the UN Security Council, Misri explained, Pakistan was questioned about its denial despite mounting evidence. He stated that this denial had only served to “expose” Pakistan further in the eyes of the international community. Referring to past incidents, Misri said, “I don’t need to remind anyone where bin Laden was found and who called him a martyr...”, referencing former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s controversial statement, “We Pakistanis were embarrassed when the Americans came into Abbottabad and killed Osama bin Laden… martyred him.”
Pakistan’s Attempts to Cover Tracks
Indian authorities believe that Pakistan’s behaviour at international forums such as the United Nations has been characterized by deliberate delay tactics. Misri described these efforts as “stalling games” meant to buy time and mislead global observers. He stressed that India “could no longer take at face value any statement about combating cross-border terror.”
Escalation by Pakistan and India's Response
Shortly after Operation Sindoor, Pakistan escalated the situation by launching missile attacks on Indian military establishments in 15 cities. The Indian Defence Ministry confirmed the attacks and stated that Indian forces responded by neutralizing Pakistan’s air defence radars in several locations, including Lahore. Despite this retaliation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh clarified that India does not wish to escalate the conflict. He stated that “Operation Sindoor remains an active military operation depending on Pakistan’s reaction,” and added, “India does not want an escalation but will hit back if Pakistan strikes.” Vikram Misri reiterated that “Only terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan had been hit.” He emphasized again, “India made it clear after Operation Sindoor that no Pakistani military establishments had been targeted.”
Religious Sites Used as Terror Covers
Addressing Pakistan’s accusations that Indian strikes had desecrated religious sites, India issued a strong rebuttal. Vikram Misri said, “This claim is completely false again.” He accused Pakistan of exploiting religious locations to train and shelter terrorists, stating, “Pakistan is misusing religious sites as a cover to, in fact, radicalise, direct and indoctrinate and train terrorists.”
(Sources: NDTV, Mint, Hindustan Times)
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