'Masood Azhar's family torn into pieces': Jaish-e-Mohammad confirms losses in Bahawalpur strike

A senior Jaish-e-Mohammad commander has confirmed that family members of group leader Masood Azhar were killed in the Indian airstrike on the outfit's headquarters in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. This admission comes as new intelligence places Azhar in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, far from his earlier base in Bahawalpur, challenging previous Pakistani claims about his whereabouts.

Intelligence accessed by India Today indicates Masood Azhar was last seen in Skardu, a tourist destination in Gilgit-Baltistan. This contradicts statements by former Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who claimed Azhar might be in Afghanistan.

For the first time, Jaish-e-Mohammad has openly admitted that Azhar's family suffered losses during the Bahawalpur strike. In a circulated video, Jaish commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, surrounded by security personnel, stated that Azhar's family had been "torn into pieces" in the attack. This offers a rare confirmation from within the group regarding the consequences of India's cross-border operation.

Kashmiri said Azhar's family had been "torn into pieces" in the May 7 attack targeting the Jaish headquarters at Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur. He added, "After sacrificing everything, on May 7, Maulana Masood Azhar's family was torn apart by Indian forces in Bahawalpur."

Operation Sindoor was carried out in response to a terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which resulted in the deaths of 25 tourists. Indian forces targeted nine locations, including Bahawalpur, destroying several terror sites.

In the Bahawalpur strike, ten relatives of Azhar, including his sister, her husband, nephew, niece, and children from his extended family, were reportedly killed. The attack also claimed the lives of four close aides. Satellite imagery revealed heavy damage to the mosque complex and substantial internal destruction.

Although Pakistani authorities did not officially recognise these losses, eyewitnesses and foreign media reported state funerals were held in May for Azhar's family members. Azhar himself, rarely seen in public, reportedly made a brief appearance at these funerals before departing.

These admissions by Jaish and the shift in Azhar's location underscore ongoing security concerns in the region and the continued focus of Indian security agencies on high-profile terror figures.