Islamabad: Months after India carried out strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir under ‘Operation Sindoor,’ a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander has admitted that the family of top commander Masood Azhar was severely affected during the attacks. In a viral video, JeM operative Masood Ilyas Kashmiri described how Indian armed forces entered their hideout and struck on May 7 in Bahawalpur, stating, “Maulana Masood Azhar’s family was torn apart by Indian forces.” The strikes, conducted weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 civilians, targeted nine terrorist facilities across Pakistan and PoK, including Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muridke, known hubs for JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba operations. Bahawalpur, located about 400 km from Lahore, houses JeM’s operational headquarters at Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah, also known as the Usman-o-Ali campus. Pakistani media later reported that Masood Azhar acknowledged the deaths of 10 of his family members in the operation. Azhar, who has remained in hiding for years, was described by Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as being of unknown location, though Islamabad expressed willingness to act if India provides evidence of his presence on Pakistani soil.
