New Delhi, May 7: In a major escalation, Indian airstrikes on Tuesday night targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur, resulting in the deaths of 10 family members of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, including his sister and brother-in-law. The airstrikes were reportedly a response to a terror attack in Pahalgam earlier that week. Azhar, a UN-designated terrorist, confirmed the deaths, with Pakistani media reporting that 14 people were killed at his residence.
The Indian military targeted key terror camps in Punjab and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), destroying 21 camps across nine locations in a 25-minute operation. The strikes focused on Jaish and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s strongholds, located in Punjab’s terror hubs. While Pakistan initially claimed civilian casualties, India’s government firmly denied these allegations, asserting that only terrorist camps were hit, with no civilian areas or casualties reported.
The operation, part of what has been dubbed “Operation Sindoor,” included a strike on the Subhan Allah complex in Bahawalpur, a known Jaish stronghold. The Indian government has made it clear that it will respond decisively to any Pakistani provocations, warning Islamabad not to escalate tensions further.
Masood Azhar, responsible for several high-profile terrorist attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing, has been a prime target in India’s fight against cross-border terrorism.
