In a major admission, a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commander has confirmed that Indian forces killed several members of Masood Azhar’s family during the May 7 strikes under Operation Sindoor in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
A viral video circulating on social media shows Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, a senior JeM commander, recalling how Indian forces “tore into pieces” Azhar’s family when they stormed the group’s hideout. Kashmiri is heard saying in Urdu:
“After sacrificing everything, on May 7, Maulana Masood Azhar’s family was torn apart by Indian forces in Bahawalpur.”
Operation Sindoor – India’s Retaliatory Strike
The strikes were carried out by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, including tourists.
Indian forces hit nine terror facilities in Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muridke — all key strongholds of JeM, LeT, and Hizbul Mujahideen.
According to Indian officials, no civilian casualties were reported on their side. Pakistan, however, claimed 26 people were killed and 46 injured across six of the nine targeted sites.
Who Was Killed in Bahawalpur
Pakistani media reports — citing Azhar himself — stated that 10 of his family members were killed, including:
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Azhar’s elder sister and her husband
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A nephew and his wife
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A niece and five children
Among those killed was Mohammad Yusuf Azhar (“Ustad Ji”), Azhar’s brother-in-law and a key JeM figure wanted by India for his role in the 1999 IC-814 hijacking. He also oversaw JeM’s weapons training program and was on Interpol’s Red Corner Notice list.
India–Pakistan War of Words
While Islamabad continues to deny cross-border terrorism and even claims ignorance of Azhar’s whereabouts, New Delhi has described the operation as a legitimate act of self-defence, emphasizing that it was aimed solely at terror infrastructure and not Pakistani civilians.
