Bahawalpur (Pakistan): Indian cross-border strikes targeted the home of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, mastermind of the 2001 Parliament attack, in Pakistan’s Punjab city of Bahawalpur.
The Daily Urdu, quoting local sources, claimed that at least 14 people were killed in the incident, including women and children.
Strict security has been enforced in the area after the incident, while no official confirmation or denial has yet been made.
Masood Azhar, in a statement, said that 10 people and four close associates of his family have been killed in the Indian attack on the Markaz Subhan Allah, in Bahawalpur, known as the operational headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammed, and used for hosting cadre training sessions.
Masood Azhar claimed that the dead included his eldest sister and the nephew of her husband, Masood Azhar, and his wife, another niece, as well as five children of their family.
The statement also states that in the late Tuesday night attack, a close associate of Masood Azhar and his mother, and two other close associates have also been killed. The statement criticised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that ”This oppression broke all the rules, no longer hoping for mercy”, the daily said.
Masood Azhar and the JeM were involved in the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, the January 2016, attack on the Pathankot Airbase; the February 2019 Pulwama Suicide Attack in which over 40 paramilitary personnel were killed, among others.
Following the Pulwama attack, global pressure increased, and on May 1, 2019, the United Nations declared Masood Azhar a global terrorist. The United States had already termed JeM a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).
India demanded the extradition of Masood Azhar and his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, but China has repeatedly vetoed India’s efforts at the United Nations.
In 2002, Pakistan banned the Jaish-e-Muhammad, but the organisation remained active under different names. Masood Azhar was also charged with involvement in several incidents, including the murderous attack on former Pakistani President Parvez Musharraf.
A Pakistani military spokesman said India attacked six locations in Pakistan and POK on Tuesday night, killing 26 civilians, including children and women, while 46 were injured.
On December 24, 1999, an Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Delhi was hijacked and taken to Kandahar, where the Taliban were then ruling. In exchange for the release of 155 passengers, the hijackers demanded the release of Masood Azhar, Omar Saeed Sheikh and Mushtaq Zarger.
After his release, Masood Azhar announced the establishment of Jaish-e-Mohammad in Karachi.
