Recent Airstrike in Bahawalpur
Ten relatives of Masood Azhar were reportedly killed in an Indian airstrike on Bahawalpur. This location was one of the nine targets attacked by India during the recent operation.
Azhar, the head of the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad, has been labeled an international terrorist by the UN Security Council. Four of his aides are also said to have perished in this attack.
Reports indicate that the casualties included five children as well as some of Azhar’s closest family members: his sister, husband, nephew, wife, and a niece. In a statement, Azhar expressed no remorse about the incident, claiming he wished to die alongside his family.
Who is Masood Azhar?
At 56, Azhar is the founder of Jaish-e-Mohammad, which has orchestrated multiple terrorist attacks in India, notably the 2016 Pathankot Airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama incident. He was also connected to significant attacks in 2001 and 2008.
In 2016, he was involved in an assault on the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. He was previously detained by Indian authorities but was released following the hijacking of Air India flight IC814 in 1999, which led to demands for his freedom in exchange for hostages.
Despite the awareness of his presence, Islamabad has frequently denied Azhar’s existence. At a summit in Uzbekistan in 2022, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif dodged questions about actions against undesignated terrorists.
India and the US have sought to impose sanctions against Jaish-e-Mohammad, but these efforts have been obstructed by China, which called for a technical hold on related actions.
Last November, Azhar openly vowed to intensify attacks against India during a speech at an Islamic seminary in Punjab, alleging that his organization would bolster operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
In response to the recent incidents, India has called for immediate action against Azhar and his group, suggesting that his rhetoric highlights Pakistan’s failure to combat terrorists operating from its territory.
Interestingly, there were unfounded rumors last year about Azhar’s death in a bombing, but these claims were later debunked.
