Masood Azhar Confirms Heavy Personal Toll: 10 Family Members Killed in Bahawalpur Strike

In a significant development that validates India's claims about the effectiveness of "Operation Sindoor," Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar has confirmed that 10 members of his family and four close aides were killed in the Indian strikes on Pakistan's Bahawalpur, according to BBC Urdu. 

The acknowledgment marks an unusual admission of vulnerability from one of most wanted terrorists and provides concrete evidence of the precision and effectiveness of India's May 7 military operation.

The Personal Loss

According to Azhar's statement to BBC Urdu, the casualties within his family include his elder sister and her husband, his nephew and his wife, another niece, and five children. Additionally, a close aide of Azhar and his mother, along with two other close associates, were also killed in the Indian strikes. 

Security analysts stated that it is a significant loss to the personal and operational network of the terrorist organisation JeM Chief, who was a mastermind to various attacks against India including Parliament attack in 2001 and Pulwana attack of 2019. 

The Subhan Allah Complex 

The strikes targeted the Subhan Allah complex in Bahawalpur, the 12th largest city in Pakistan located approximately 400 km from Lahore. Exclusive visuals accessed by media outlets show the extensive damage inflicted on the facility, with the mosque inside the complex reduced to rubble, featuring gaping holes and widespread debris. 

The complex, spread over 18 acres, is also known as the Usman-o-Ali campus and has long served as JeM's center for recruitment, fundraising, and indoctrination. Intelligence sources indicate that approximately 30 terrorists were neutralized at this location alone. 

"The Subhan Allah complex was one of the most important terrorist infrastructure facilities in Pakistan," noted a senior defense analyst. "It wasn't just a training ground but a symbol of JeM's prominence and Masood Azhar's influence."

Precision Targeting

India's ability to precisely target the Subhan Allah complex demonstrates the significant intelligence and operational capabilities of its armed forces. 

Col. Sofiya Qureshi, who briefed the media following the operation, presented videos showing the destroyed terror camps, confirming that the strikes were executed with surgical precision from Indian soil. 

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh noted during the briefing that "Pakistan has been building a terror infrastructure, including recruitment and indoctrination centers, training areas, and launch pads in Pakistan and PoJK, which are spread from Sawai Nala in the north to Bahawalpur in the south." 

Pakistan's Response

While Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called the strikes "an act of war" and threatened a "befitting reply," the confirmation of casualties within Masood Azhar's family creates a complicated political situation for Pakistan, which has long denied harboring terrorists on its soil.

The admission by Azhar to BBC Urdu effectively acknowledges both his presence in Pakistan and the reality that his family members were living in a facility targeted for its terrorist connections.

Indian officials have maintained that their operation was specifically aimed at terrorist infrastructure and not at Pakistani state or military targets.