Operation Sindoor: Why was Bahawalpur targeted? Its Jaish, Masood Azhar link

Bahawalpur, Pakistan's 12th largest city, reportedly serves as the nerve centre of Jaish-e-Mohammed, a place which also has a Masood Azhar connection

In a high-stakes counterterror operation in the early hours of Wednesday (May 7), the Indian armed forces conducted coordinated overnight strikes on nine terrorist facilities inside Pakistan, targeting the deep infrastructure of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The operation, codenamed ‘Operation Sindoor,’ marks one of the most extensive cross-border actions by India since the Balakot airstrikes of 2019.

 

Pakistan has officially acknowledged that nine sites were hit in the strikes, including locations in Kotli, Muridke and Bahawalpur — all known hubs of extremist activity.

 

Bahawalpur: Why India struck Jaish’s main operational nerve centre

 

Bahawalpur, Pakistan’s 12th largest city, was not randomly chosen. It reportedly serves as the nerve centre of Jaish-e-Mohammed, the group responsible for multiple attacks on Indian soil over the past two decades. Located around 400 km from Lahore, Bahawalpur houses the group’s operational headquarters at the Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah, also known as the Usman-o-Ali campus.  Also read: Indian strikes in Pak: Marco Rubio calls for restraint, peaceful resolution

 

 

This 18-acre facility reportedly includes a central mosque, a madrassa for over 600 students, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, and stables. Though publicly presented as a religious seminary, the compound was quietly transformed into a full-fledged training facility after 2011, reportedly with funding routed through Al-Rahmat Trust, a JeM front organisation.

 

The campus is situated just a few miles from Pakistan’s 31 Corps military cantonment, a proximity intelligence sources interpret as clear evidence of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)’s tacit support for the group. Satellite imagery has shown consistent development at the site, underlining its operational importance.

 

Masood Azhar: The mastermind behind JeM’s violent legacy

 

JeM’s founder, Maulana Masood Azhar, is a central figure in the history of terrorism in South Asia. Born in Bahawalpur in 1968, Azhar was a cleric with Harkat-ul-Mujahideen before being arrested by Indian authorities in 1994. His infamy soared after his release in 1999, secured in exchange for the hostages of the IC-814 hijacking in Kandahar.  Also read: India vs Pakistan military power 2025: Who leads on land, sea and air?

 

In January 2000, he launched Jaish-e-Mohammed in Karachi with the goal of integrating Kashmir into Pakistan under a hardline interpretation of Islamic law. The Pakistani government banned JeM in 2002 under international pressure. The group has continued to operate, bolstered by reported ISI support and funding from affiliated trusts.

 

Jaish-e-Mohammed’s terror attacks on India: A deadly trail

 

JeM has been behind some of the most brazen attacks on India in the 21st century:

 

> April 2000: The first suicide car bombing in J&K, killing four soldiers outside the 15 Corps HQ in Srinagar.

 

> October 2001: Suicide bomber killed over 30 people at the J&K legislative assembly.

 

> December 2001: In collaboration with LeT, JeM launched an assault on India’s Parliament, killing 14.

 

> January 2016: The group attacked the Pathankot airbase, killing three Indian security personnel.

 

> September 2016: JeM militants killed 19 soldiers in the Uri attack, prompting surgical strikes.

 

> February 2019: A suicide bombing in Pulwama killed 40 CRPF jawans, leading to India’s Balakot airstrikes.

 

Most recently, the Pahalgam attack is believed to have been orchestrated by a JeM affiliate with LeT support, operating under the alias Kashmir Tigers or Kashmir Freedom Army.

 

JeM leadership now under Azhar’s brother and aides

 

Though Azhar remains the symbolic head, multiple reports indicate that illness has kept him out of the public eye, with his last appearance at a wedding in June 2024. Leadership has largely passed to his brother, Abdul Rauf Azhar, and senior operatives like Shah Nawaz Khan (aka Sajjid Jihadi) and Maulana Mufti Mohammad Asghar, who oversee the training of more than 300 active recruits across Muzaffarabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

 

Despite Pakistan’s claims of acting against JeM — including the 2019 takeover of the Bahawalpur campus — Indian intelligence has dismissed these as symbolic moves. Masood Azhar is believed to remain under Pakistani military protection.

 

In May 2019, the United Nations designated Azhar a global terrorist, but enforcement of sanctions remains weak.