Lahore, May 7 – Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar has acknowledged that ten members of his family and four close associates were killed in an Indian missile strike on his group’s headquarters in Bahawalpur. The admission came through a statement attributed to Azhar, marking a rare public confirmation of losses suffered by the Pakistan-based terror outfit.
As per agency report, the targeted site was the Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, a known stronghold of JeM. Among the deceased were Azhar's elder sister and her husband, a nephew and his wife, a niece, and five children from the family. The statement further revealed that one of Azhar’s key aides, his mother, and two other close associates were also killed in the attack.
Calling the strike an act of "unprecedented cruelty," the statement suggested there should be no expectation of mercy going forward. Azhar, who was released in 1999 in exchange for passengers from the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-814, had since established Bahawalpur as a key base for JeM operations.
The United Nations designated Masood Azhar as a global terrorist in May 2019, after China lifted its long-standing technical hold on the proposal submitted by India. Azhar has not been seen in public since April 2019 and is believed to be hiding in a secure location in Bahawalpur.
Jaish-e-Mohammed has been responsible for several major terrorist attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2000 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly bombing, the 2016 Pathankot airbase assault, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing that killed over 40 Indian security personnel.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s Information Minister in Pakistan, Azma Bukhari, stated that all those injured in the Bahawalpur strike have been admitted to Victoria Hospital and are receiving the best possible medical care. The Pakistan Army has reported that a total of 26 people were killed and 46 others injured in the Indian missile assault.
