Masood Azhar himself had earlier claimed that 10 members of his family were killed in the Indian airstrikes on Bahawalpur.
Months after India carried out ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting and destroying terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a senior Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander has admitted that the family of the group’s chief, Masood Azhar, suffered heavy losses in the strike at Bahawalpur. A video of JeM commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri is now circulating on social media. In the clip, he openly acknowledges the damage caused to the outfit, saying that on May 7, Masood Azhar’s family was “torn into pieces” during the attack. Behind him, several armed fighters can be seen standing guard.
In the viral clip circulating on social media, Ilyas said, “In defending this land, we embraced militancy and fought in Delhi, Kabul and Kandahar to protect its borders. After giving everything, on May 7, Indian forces struck in Bahawalpur, tearing apart the family of Maulana Masood Azhar.”
WATCH VIDEO
🚨 #Exclusive 🇵🇰👺
Jaish-e-Mohamad top commander Masood ilyas kashmiri admits that On 7th May his leader Masood Azhar’s family was torn into pieces in Bahawalpur attack by Indian forces.
Look at the number of gun-wielding security personnel in the background. According to ISPR… pic.twitter.com/OLls70lpFy
— OsintTV 📺 (@OsintTV) September 16, 2025
Ilyas’ comments point to Operation Sindoor, which India launched on May 7 as a major counterstrike after the Pahalgam terror attack. The operation specifically targeted terror camps and infrastructure supported by Pakistan.
Just weeks earlier, on April 22, militants from the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s wing had carried out a gruesome attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baisaran Valley, Pahalgam. The assault claimed the lives of 26 civilians, making it one of the deadliest terror incidents in India in recent years.
Even as Pakistan Army’s media wing, ISPR, tried to portray Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operatives as “innocent civilians” and downplay the real damage, the recent admission has exposed both JeM’s strong presence in Bahawalpur and Pakistan’s double standards in protecting terror leaders, Indian intelligence officials said.
Masood Azhar himself had earlier claimed that 10 members of his family were killed in the Indian airstrikes on Bahawalpur.
Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, had also confirmed that during the operation, India’s air defence systems shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and an AEW&C/ELINT aircraft, a specialised plane used for surveillance and early warning missions.
Main operational base of Jaish-e-Mohammad
Located on NH-5 (Karachi–Torkham Highway) in Bahawalpur, Punjab province, the Markaz served as the main operational base of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). Intelligence inputs reveal that the site was central to the planning of more than a dozen major terror attacks, including the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
The Pulwama attackers themselves were trained at this very facility, which has at times housed over 600 cadres and frequently conducted training camps for JeM operatives.
