Bahawalpur,Pakistan โข- A 2025 Indian military operation,codenamed Sindoor,resulted inโค the deaths of tenโ family members and four close associates ofโฃ Jaish-e-Mohammed โฃ(JeM) commander Masood Azhar,according to a โคstatement attributed to Azhar.โฃ The strikes, carried out on May 7, targeted locations in โBahawalpur, approximately 400 โkm โfrom Lahore, following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on Aprilโ 22 thatโ killed 26 people, mostly civilians.
Thoseโ killed in the Indian strikes included Azhar’s elder sister and herโข husband, a nephew and his wife, another niece, andโฃ five children โfrom his extended family. Additionally, one of Azhar’sโ close associates and โขhis mother, along withโข two other companions, were reported dead. Senior Pakistani military, police, and bureaucratic officials โขattended the funerals.
Bahawalpur became a central hub for jem operations after Azhar’s release in 1999 in exchangeโฃ for passengers hijacked on IC-814.
The United Nations designated Azhar a โข”global terrorist” in May 2019, following a decade-long push โขby Newโ Delhi and the lifting โof a hold by China.
Azhar has remained out of public view since April 2019 and is believed to be hiding in Bahawalpur. โJeM has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, theโ 2000 Jammu and Kashmirโ assembly strike, โthe 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing.