Family Members, Aides Killed: Jaish Chief Says 'No Regret, No Despair'

Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar said that as many as 10 members of his family and four aides were killed in Indian strikes in Pakistan's Bahawalpur, BBC Urdu reported. India struck nine terror camps linked to Jaish, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at 1.05 am on Tuesday. The strikes on the Subhan Allah complex in Bahawalpur were one of the two significant ones as part of 'Operation Sindoor', India's response to the Pahalgam carnage in which Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists.

Those killed include Azhar's elder sister and her husband, his nephew and his wife, another niece, and five children of his family, BBC Urdu reported, citing a statement by the JeM chief. The statement added that a close aide of Azhar and his mother, and two other close associates were also killed in the Indian strikes.

Meanwhile, Azhar said he has "neither regret nor despair". Rather, it comes to my heart again and again that I too would have joined this fourteen-member happy caravan, he added. The terrorist said those killed have become the guests of Allah. "Time for their departure had come, but the Lord did not kill them." He also invited people to the funeral prayers today.

Bahawalpur is the 12th largest city in Pakistan and is located 400 km from Lahore. The Subhan Allah camp, which houses the Jamia Masjid, has turned into rubble as visuals exclusively accessed by India Today showed. Gaping holes, debris everywhere are what remains of the mosque inside the Subhan Allah camp.

Spread over 18 acres, the camp is also known as the Usman-o-Ali campus, which serves as the JeM's centre for recruitment, fundraising, and indoctrination.

The JeM was founded by Azhar in 2000 and is behind multiple deadly attacks on Indian soil, including the 2001 Parliament, 2016 Pathankot, and 2019 Pulwama attacks. Born in Bahawalpur, Azhar lives in a heavily guarded complex. He was one of three terrorists that India released in exchange for passengers and crew on Indian Airlines Flight 814, the longest hostage crisis in India. 

The Indian strikes also hit Masjid wa Markaz Taiba in Muridke, another stronghold of JeM. The strikes killed around 30 terrorists each in Bahawalpur and Muridke. While officials are still confirming the number of terrorists killed at other locations, it is reported that between 70 and 80 were neutralised. The series of precision strikes lasted for 25 minutes, from 1.05 am to 1.30 am.

10 civilians killed in Pak firing

Meanwhile, as many as 10 civilians have been killed and 33 injured in cross-border firing near the Line of Control and the International Border, sources said. Indian Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered the evacuation and shifting of civilians to safer locations, stressing that their safety is of the utmost priority to the government.