Jaish Chief Masood Azhar's Sister, Brother-In-Law Among 10 Of His Family Killed In Indian Strikes

Jaish Chief Masood Azhar's Sister, Brother-In-Law Among 10 Of His Family Killed In Indian Strikes

Last Updated: May 07, 2025, 17:38 IST

Operation Sindoor: India carried out retaliatory strikes against terrorist camps in Pakistan and PoK under Operation Sindoor.

Operation Sindoor: Family members of Masood Azhar killed (AP File Image)

In a massive development, Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar’s 10 family members, including his sister, were killed in the Indian strikes inside Pakistan’s Bahawalpur, in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack early Wednesday.

The UN-designated terrorist’s brother-in-law was also among the family members blown up in the strikes.

Several Members Of Masood Azhar’s Family Wiped Off

The Indian armed forces struck terrorist camps in Pakistan’s Punjab and PoK. 4 targets were hit in Punjab, where the headquarters of Jaish and Lashkar are located, while 5 targets were destroyed in PoK, officials said. As many as 21 terror camps across 9 targets were carried out within 25 minutes late Tuesday night, around 1 am to 1.30 am.

Also Read: Who Is Masood Azhar, Jaish-e-Mohammed Chief Who Was Let Off After IC-814 Hijacking?

Masood Azhar released a statement, admitting that 10 of his family members were killed in the Indian strikes. The Pakistani media had reported that 14 people were killed in his house. Their funeral will take place at Bahawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab.

One of the two major strikes in Operation Sindoor was on the Subhan Allah complex in Bahawalpur. The government highlighted that the strikes did not take place on the military establishments of Pakistan but on the terror camps.

Qari Mohd Iqbal, a Lashkar religious preacher, was also killed in PoK’s Kotli.

The government also said that there are no reports of any civilian casualties, fact-checking Pakistan’s claims of civilian areas being targeted in the attack.

Pakistan, which earlier termed any military action by India as an “act of war", said that the country is ready to stand down if India halts its operations.

“This has been initiated by India. If India is ready to back down, they have taken the initiative, we have just responded. We have been saying this that we will never initiate anything hostile towards India. But if we are attacked, we will respond. If India backs down, we will definitely wrap up these things. But as long as we are under fire, we have to respond," Asif told a news channel.

India also warned Pakistan against pursuing any “misadventures" that may escalate the situation.

“No military establishment was targeted, and there are no reports of civilian casualties. It must be said that the Indian armed forces are fully prepared to respond to a Pakistani misadventure, if any, that will escalate the situation. Terror targets were chosen based on credible intelligence and their involvement in cross-border terrorism," Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said at a press briefing.

Azhar is a UN-designated terrorist who founded terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pakistan. His terror outfit carried out several terrorist attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack in Delhi, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, 2019 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

Is Masood Azhar Dead Or Alive?

Masood Azhar, mastermind behind the 2001 Parliament attack in New Delhi, had been missing from the public view for several months and had only resurfaced in Bahawalpur around the end of 2024.

The Indian intelligence had a close eye on his movements. Latest satellite imagery and human intelligence revealed that he had resumed command over the terrorist activities from within the walled complex.

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However, as reports of his family members being taken down in the Indian strikes surfaced, the question follows whether Azhar — India’s one of the most wanted terrorists — is dead too.

“We are verifying ground-level intelligence, but signs point to the possibility that Azhar was present in the facility at the time of the attack," News18 Hindi quoted a senior defence official as saying under condition of anonymity.

First Published: May 07, 2025, 11:47 IST