Operation Sindoor: JeM Chief Masood Azhar Confirms Death Of 14 Kin, Aides In Strike

Jaish-e-Mohammad or JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar has confirmed that 14 people, including 10 of his family members and four close associates, were killed in India’s missile strike on the outfit’s headquarters in Bahawalpur, PTI reported.

In a statement, Azhar said the deceased included his elder sister and her husband, a nephew and his wife, a niece, and five children from his extended family. The attack on JeM headquarters—Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah—also claimed the lives of a senior aide, his mother, and two other close associates.

"This act of brutality has broken all boundaries. There should be no expectation of mercy now," the statement warned.

Bahawalpur has been the JeM’s base since Azhar’s release in 1999, secured in exchange for hostages aboard the hijacked IC-814 flight.

In May 2019, the United Nations designated Azhar a 'global terrorist' after China lifted its hold on a proposal to blacklist the JeM chief, a decade after New Delhi approached the world body for the first time on the issue.

The elusive Azhar, who has not been seen in public since April 2019, is believed to be hiding in a 'safe place' in Bahawalpur.

The group has been involved in a series of terror attacks in India, including the Parliament attack in 2001, the strike on the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in 2000, the attack on the IAF base in Pathankot in 2016 and the Pulwama suicide bombing in 2019.

Meanwhile, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said that all those injured in the Bahawalpur attack have been shifted to Victoria Hospital and given the best treatment.

The Pakistan military said that 26 people were killed and 46 others injured in the attack.

(With inputs from PTI).

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