India on Friday said recent video messages by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leaders threatening retaliation against Indian strikes expose the group’s close links with the Pakistani state, with the MEA stressing there is no scope for third-party mediation in ties with Islamabad.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Friday said recent video messages from Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) leaders threatening retaliation against India highlight the terror group’s close links with the Pakistani state.
The videos, shared on Telegram channels, show JeM leaders urging people to join jihad against India while admitting that Indian military strikes in May damaged their bases in Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
“The world is well aware of the nexus between terrorists and the Pakistan state and military. Such statements make it even more glaring,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing.
Jaiswal was referring to JeM leaders’ claims that the Indian strikes in Bahawalpur, Punjab province, killed relatives of JeM chief Masood Azhar and that Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir instructed officers to attend the funerals of slain terrorists.
On a separate question about mediation, Jaiswal reiterated New Delhi’s position: “So, I clarify this – there is absolutely no role for third party mediation in India-Pakistan issues.”
His remarks came after Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar told Al Jazeera that US secretary of state Marco Rubio had initially suggested a “ceasefire” followed by dialogue, but later made it clear during a July 25 meeting that all India–Pakistan matters were strictly bilateral.
The Indian strikes led to four days of hostilities, ending on May 10 after senior military officials of both sides agreed to halt operations. Indian officials have maintained the US had no role in brokering the understanding.
🚨 #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 major admission, Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has confirmed that Indian airstrikes killed family members of its chief, Masood Azhar.
In an undated video that surfaced recently, JeM commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri said Azhar’s relatives were “torn into pieces” when India struck the group’s Markaz Subhanallah facility in Bahawalpur, Punjab province, on May 7. The site, used as JeM’s headquarters for training and indoctrination, was targeted under Operation Sindoor. At least 10 members of Azhar’s family were killed in the strike.
Kashmiri said: “For these borders, we fought with Delhi, we fought in Kabul, we fought with Kandahar. After sacrificing everything, on May 7 at Bahawalpur, family members of Maulana Masood Azhar, including children, were torn into pieces.”
Azhar himself had admitted soon after the strike that among those killed were his elder sister and her husband, his nephew and the nephew’s wife, his niece, and five children from his family. He also said one of his close associates, the associate’s mother, and two other companions were killed.
The Bahawalpur facility was one of nine terrorist sites hit by India in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) in the early hours of May 7.
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