Jaish Chief Masood Azhar’s Kin Divided, Pakistan Exposed Over ‘Op Sindoor’

Masood Azhar’s Family Hit in Indian Strikes, Jaish Leader Admits Pakistan Support

Months after India launched Operation Sindoor to destroy terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a senior Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander has admitted that the family of the group’s chief Masood Azhar was “torn into pieces” during strikes in Bahawalpur.

In a viral video, JeM leader Masood Ilyas Kashmiri is heard recalling how Indian forces stormed their hideout and inflicted heavy damage. “After sacrificing everything, on May 7, Maulana Masood Azhar’s family was torn apart by Indian forces in Bahawalpur,” he said in Urdu, flanked by armed men.

At the same gathering, Kashmiri openly acknowledged Pakistan Army’s patronage of terror outfits, boasting that “Army sent generals to funerals” of those killed in the Indian strikes. Reports suggest that senior Pakistani military and civil officials attended the ceremonies of several designated terrorists eliminated under Operation Sindoor.

Operation Sindoor
The operation was carried out weeks after 26 civilians were killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. In a series of coordinated overnight strikes, Indian forces hit nine terrorist facilities across Pakistan and PoK, including strongholds of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Bahawalpur, Kotli and Muridke.

Bahawalpur, JeM’s operational nerve centre, was among the hardest hit. The city houses the group’s headquarters at the Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah, also known as the Usman-o-Ali campus. Pakistani outlets later reported that Azhar himself admitted that 10 of his family members were killed in the strikes.

Masood Azhar, designated a global terrorist by the UN, has been in hiding for years. In June, former Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari claimed Islamabad was unaware of his whereabouts, even as Indian officials maintain he continues to enjoy state protection.