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The admission validates India’s intelligence assessment that Bahawalpur is JeM’s nerve centre, despite Pakistan’s denial to the FATF and international watchdogs
(Clockwise from left) Masood Azhar, Masood Ilyas Kashmiri and a picture of Bahawalpur facility released by BJP on X after Operation Sindoor. (File/X)
Confirming the impact of Operation Sindoor, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, in a speech during an event, admitted that India’s precision strike in Bahawalpur on May 7 hit the family of JeM chief Masood Azhar.
The admission validates India’s intelligence assessment that Bahawalpur remains JeM’s nerve centre, despite Pakistan’s denial to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and international watchdogs.
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The video, which has gone viral on social media, shows Kashmiri accepting that India’s Operation Sindoor, in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam attack by Pakistan, shattered JeM’s internal morale.
While Pakistan Army’s media wing ISPR continues to project JeM cadres as innocent civilians and attempted to cover up the strike’s true impact, the revelation exposes both JeM’s deep roots in Bahawalpur and Pakistan’s duplicity in shielding terror leadership, said top Indian intelligence sources.
On May 7, Jaish-e-Mohammad’s top commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri admitted that during #OpSindoor , a precise Indian attack in Bahawalpur destroyed the household of his leader Masood Azhar, leaving his family torn apart. pic.twitter.com/1gAlERUkDF— BALA (@erbmjha) September 16, 2025
Azhar had claimed 10 family members were killed in Indian airstrikes on Bahawalpur.
Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh had said that India’s air defence surface-to-air missile systems destroyed five Pakistani fighter jets and an AEW&C/ELINT aircraft, which is a specialised military plane designed for airborne surveillance, early warning.
“This time it was very clear that we sent an emphatic message to the world… It should not be something limited to the launchpads. But, the terror leadership should be challenged… Other agencies were involved, and we decided to hit those nine targets. The two headquarters were targeted which Bahawalpur and Muridke. Eight agencies along with three services were involved. It was all planned out,” he said.
“Pakistan is misleading its domestic and international audience. The targeting of Azhar’s family targeted has created major tension in JeM’s command chain. This also clearly suggests discontent among mid-level commanders,” said sources.
Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur (Punjab, Pakistan) was the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammad. This facility was a key hub for orchestrating terror operations, including the Pulwama attack on Feb 14, 2019. The perpetrators of the bombing were trained at this very site. Demolished. pic.twitter.com/zNhcMylVxW— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 7, 2025
“The strike’s effectiveness is now indirectly confirmed by JeM and they are strengthening India’s case on how Pakistan harbours terrorists,” said sources.
Pakistan’s narrative management has been compromised, highlighting their strategy of mixing with terrorists with civilians to escape accountability, they added.
The admission gives India leverage in diplomatic, FATF, and UN forums to push harder on Pakistan’s state complicity in terror sanctuaries.
With India’s continuous pressure, the FATF’s recent report had defined state-sponsored terrorism as a state actively financing terrorist activities as part of its policy.
Before this, India had identified state-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan as a source of Terrorist Financing risk in its ML/TF risk assessment 2022. The findings of the report had reinforced India’s position. Pakistan-based terror outfits such as the LeT, JeM, and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remain global threat, the report had said.
About the Author
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18
September 16, 2025, 13:45 IST
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