New Delhi [India], May 10: In a decisive move under Operation Sindoor, the Indian Armed Forces on May 7 launched targeted strikes on nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), resulting in the confirmed elimination of Mohammad Yusuf Azhar, a top commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and the brother-in-law of JeM chief Masood Azhar, sources confirmed.
Yusuf Azhar, wanted in connection with the 1999 IC-814 hijacking and known for orchestrating weapons training for JeM operatives, had a Red Corner Notice (A-565/6-2000) against him. His death marks a major blow to JeM’s operational core.
Reacting to media reports of Yusuf’s death, Judea Pearl, father of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl, clarified that while Yusuf Azhar’s group was not directly responsible for his son’s murder, JeM played an indirect role.
“Azhar orchestrated the hijacking that led to the release of Omar Sheikh, who later lured my son into captivity,” said Pearl in a post on X.
Asra Nomani, a former Wall Street Journal journalist and close colleague of Daniel Pearl, praised India’s strike in Bahawalpur, JeM’s stronghold.
“I still have chills from when I first heard that town’s name in January 2002,” Nomani said, recalling how Pakistan’s military and intelligence have long used Bahawalpur as a terror launchpad.
She recounted Daniel Pearl’s 2001 reporting trip to the city, exposing militant activities amid Pakistani assurances of cracking down on terror. Pearl was later kidnapped and killed by extremists, a chain of events set in motion by the release of Omar Sheikh, facilitated by the IC-814 hijacking linked to Yusuf Azhar.
Nomani also highlighted the systemic protection of terrorists in Pakistan:
“Did Pakistan jail Omar Sheikh and Masood Azhar when they returned? No. They gave them safe passage and used them as weapons against India,” she said.
The Bahawalpur facility, Markaz Subhan Allah, has been central to JeM’s terror campaigns, including the Pulwama suicide bombing in 2019. The centre houses not only JeM’s command hierarchy but also functions as its training and indoctrination base.
Nomani praised India’s action as a long-overdue step Pakistan failed to take:
“India is doing a strategic attack on terrorist bases. Pakistan had a duty to dismantle those bases for the safety of its own people.”
Operation Sindoor, which follows a major terror attack in Pahalgam, has been described as a measured, precision-based military response, targeting only terror infrastructure while avoiding civilian areas — a sharp contrast to Pakistan’s alleged indiscriminate attacks in Jammu & Kashmir.
India’s Ministry of Defence confirmed the strikes hit their intended targets and reiterated the country’s right to self-defense, while urging Pakistan to cease support for cross-border terrorism.