Bahawalpur,Pakistan - A 2025 Indian military operation,codenamed Sindoor,resulted in the deaths of ten family members and four close associates of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander Masood Azhar,according to a statement attributed to Azhar. The strikes, carried out on May 7, targeted locations in Bahawalpur, approximately 400 km from Lahore, following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 people, mostly civilians.
Those killed in the Indian strikes included Azhar’s elder sister and her husband, a nephew and his wife, another niece, and five children from his extended family. Additionally, one of Azhar’s close associates and his mother, along with two other companions, were reported dead. Senior Pakistani military, police, and bureaucratic officials attended the funerals.
Bahawalpur became a central hub for jem operations after Azhar’s release in 1999 in exchange for passengers hijacked on IC-814.
The United Nations designated Azhar a ”global terrorist” in May 2019, following a decade-long push by New Delhi and the lifting of a hold by China.
Azhar has remained out of public view since April 2019 and is believed to be hiding in Bahawalpur. JeM has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2000 Jammu and Kashmir assembly strike, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing.
