Indian Airstrikes in Pakistan Target Jaish Chief Masood Azhar’s Family and Close Aides, Killing 14

Maulana Masood Azhar, the head of Jaish-e-Mohammad, has asserted that India’s targeted airstrikes under Operation Sindoor, which aimed to retaliate against the Pahalgam terror attack, killed 10 of his family members and four of his associates, according to a report by news agency PTI.

Jaish chief Masood Azhar’s brother hospitalised after sustaining severe injuries in Indian strikes. | India Today

The statement, attributed to Azhar, who was arrested in India in 1994 and later released following the Air India IC 814 hijacking, claims that those killed in the strike on JeM's headquarters, Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, included his elder sister, her spouse, a nephew and his wife, a niece, and five children from his extended family.

"Ten members of my family were blessed with this happiness together tonight... five are innocent children, my elder sister, her honorable husband. My scholar Fazil bhanje (nephew) and his wife and my beloved scholar Fazilah (niece) ... my dear brother Huzaifah and his mother. Two more dear companions," he mentioned that those who have passed away have now become guests of Allah.

He mentioned that he feels "neither regret nor despair." He added, "Instead, my heart keeps thinking that I too would have been a part of this joyful, fourteen-member caravan." The terrorist remarked, "Their time had come, but the Lord chose not to take their lives." He also extended an invitation to attend the funeral prayers today.

Masood Azhar, aged 56, who is listed as an international terrorist by the UN Security Council, has been implicated in planning several terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, 2008 Mumbai attacks, 2016 Pathankot attack, and the 2019 Pulwama attack. While it is well known that he resides in Pakistan, Islamabad has consistently denied any knowledge of his whereabouts.

In retaliation for the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 innocent civilians, India launched 24 precision missile strikes targeting nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Indian government sources have stated that over 70 terrorists were killed, and more than 60 were wounded during the attacks.

Indian officials have expressed sorrow over the civilian casualties, emphasizing that every effort was made to minimize them. They also assured that all targets were carefully selected and were directly linked to terrorist activities.

"The nature of asymmetric warfare, however, often sees terrorist groups embed their facilities in densely populated civilian areas, complicating any effort to avoid non-combatant casualties completely. The collateral damage was notably restrained, especially considering the scale and spread of the operation. This restraint was attributed to India's use of precision-guided munitions, as well as the selection of targets during late-night hours when civilian presence was minimal," a government source said. Government sources noted that while India showed restraint, Pakistan's narrative had shifted towards exaggerating the civilian impact in an effort to attract international sympathy. During a press briefing after the attack, defense officials presented visuals that clearly indicated the surgical strikes were mostly limited to the intended compounds.

Who Is Abdul Rauf Asghar?

Abdul Rauf Asghar, often considered the de facto leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), played a pivotal role in orchestrating the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 in 1999, an event that led to the release of his brother, Masood Azhar, and other militants from Indian detention.

Asghar has been instrumental in the group's strategic planning and execution of numerous terror attacks against India. He was a central figure in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, which resulted in nine fatalities and escalated tensions between India and Pakistan.

In 2016, Asghar, in his capacity as JeM's deputy leader, masterminded the attack on the Pathankot airbase. Later that year, under his guidance, the group carried out the Uri attack, which claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers.

Three years after, Rauf was reportedly involved in the planning of the Pulwama suicide bombing, which killed 40 CRPF personnel, even though the group utilized other operatives to take credit for the attack.

The Reasons Behind India’s Attack on Bahawalpur

In a rapid and synchronized operation lasting just 25 minutes, India conducted its largest cross-border strikes since Balakot, targeting nine terror facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) early on Wednesday. This attack was in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror assault, in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed by Pakistan-backed militants.

Bahawalpur, a crucial base for Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), was one of the main targets of Operation Sindoor. Indian missiles hit the Subhan Allah complex, which houses JeM's Jamia Masjid, locally known as the Usman-o-Ali campus, leaving much of the structure in ruins. Images obtained by India Today revealed extensive damage at the site.

Located around 400 kilometers from Lahore, Bahawalpur is considered the operational stronghold of JeM. The group's founder, Masood Azhar — a UN-designated terrorist — was born there and resides in a highly secured compound. He and his brother have been out of the public eye for years.

(Source: Hindustan Times, NDTV, India Today)