New Delhi: A senior commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) has admitted that Indian armed forces killed several members of Masood Azhar’s family during the May 7 Operation Sindoor strikes in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.
🚨 #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
In a video circulating online, Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, a top JeM figure, is heard recalling how Indian forces “tore into pieces” Azhar’s family after storming their hideout. Surrounded by armed men, Kashmiri declares in Urdu: “On May 7, Maulana Masood Azhar’s family was torn apart by Indian forces in Bahawalpur.”
Operation Sindoor: India’s retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack
Operation Sindoor was India’s response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians, including tourists. In a coordinated assault, the Army, Navy and Air Force hit nine facilities linked to JeM, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen in Bahawalpur, Kotli and Muridke in Pakistan.
New Delhi has categorically stated that the Operation was aimed only at terror infrastructure and reported no civilian casualties. Pakistan, however, claimed 26 deaths and 46 injuries at six of the nine targeted locations.
Who all were killed in Bahawalpur?
Pakistani media reports, quoting Azhar himself, said ten of his relatives died. Among them were his elder sister and her husband, a nephew and his wife, a niece and five children.
The dead also included Mohammad Yusuf Azhar, also known as “Ustad Ji”. A close relative of Masood Azhar, he was wanted in India for his role in the 1999 IC-814 hijacking and was on Interpol’s Red Corner Notice. He was considered key to JeM’s weapons training operations.
Pakistan’s denial and India’s stance
As it is wont to and in line with its usual pattern, Islamabad continues to deny involvement in cross-border terrorism. On the other hand, India has described the strikes under Operation Sindoor as “legitimate self-defence”. New Delhi has emphasised and underscored that the Operation Sindoor was carefully targeted at extremist strongholds and was not directed at civilians.
Designated as a “global terrorist”, Masood Azhar has been incognito for years. Pakistani leaders, including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, have publicly claimed ignorance of his whereabouts, even as his organisation continues to be linked to attacks on Indian soil.