Which Of 9 Targets Was India’s Masterstroke In Op Sindoor- Bahawalpur, Muridke, Or Muzaffarabad? News24 –

In December 1999, an Indian Airlines Flight 814 (IC814) en route from Kathmandu in Nepal to New Delhi was hijacked and eventually landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, after being flown to multiple locations. Kandahar at that time was controlled by the Taliban, which was supported by Pakistan’s ISI. Masood Azhar was one of the three militants demanded to be released in exchange for freeing the hostages. Subsequently, Azhar was freed by the Indian government. From then he has been controlling and training the terrorists in Pakistan and PoK.

Among the nine targets hit by India in response to the Pahalgam attack, one stood out, which was the massive headquarters of the banned terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur. This was run by the same Masood Azhar who was freed during Kandahar. The headquarters wasn’t just any site; it was their nerve centre- the place where plans were made, recruits were trained, and attacks against India were coordinated. The Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists, was presumably planned and plotted at this location.

Jaish-e-Mohammed In Bahawalpur

Bahawalpur, nearly 100 km from the International Border, stood out not just for its distance but for its significance- this was the first time India carried out a strike in Pakistan’s Punjab since the 1971 war. As one of the four targets inside Pakistan itself, the strike on Bahawalpur marked a historic moment in ‘Operation Sindoor’, which also hit five other terror-linked locations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Jaish-e-Mohammed

Once a peaceful trading outpost founded in 1748, Bahawalpur took a darker turn in recent decades. After Masood Azhar was released from Indian custody during the IC-814 hijacking crisis in 1999, he returned to this historic city and turned it into the command centre of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), the terror group he would go on to establish in 2000. Since then, Bahawalpur has become synonymous with terror training and anti-India operations. JeM has orchestrated some of the deadliest attacks on Indian soil- from the Parliament attack in 2001 to the Pulwama bombing in 2019.

Azhar reportedly claimed that 10 of his family members were killed in the recent Indian airstrike. Over the years, his rise and the group’s expansion have been allegedly supported by powerful networks, including Pakistan’s ISI, the Taliban, and even Osama bin Laden.

How Big Is Jaish-e-Mohammed HQ

Pakistan’s 12th largest city, Bahawalpur is spread over 15-acre Markaz Subhan Allah complex. It is commonly known as Usman-o-Ali campus in Pakistan and to their army. Though it almost looked like a religious school and mosque, it is considered to be the operational heart of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). More than just a place of worship, this compound reportedly serves as a recruitment hub, training ground, and ideological factory for young extremists. It includes a school that can house up to 600 individuals, a gym, swimming pool for combat-style water training, and even an archery range- all woven into the fabric of radical grooming.

Jaish-e-Mohammed terror headquarter Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, Destroyed by IndianArmy , Jai Hind 🇮🇳🫡#OperationSindoor #IndiaPakistanWar #IndianArmedForces pic.twitter.com/cPJ50E6vYA

— Jian Azmir (@JianAzmir) May 7, 2025

Pulwama Attackers

 This is also where the Pulwama attackers are believed to have been trained. The complex houses not just facilities, but lives- including those of JeM founder Masood Azhar and his brother, Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, who is said to be running the group’s operations while Azhar remains under the shadowy “protective custody” of Pakistani authorities. Indian intelligence believes Azhar last addressed his cadre here in November 2024, after a two-year silence.

Strategically, Bahawalpur holds more than symbolic value. It’s also home to Pakistan’s 31 Corps. India striking here during Operation Sindoor marks a major shift — it’s the first time a target this deep inside Pakistan’s Punjab has been hit in response to cross-border terror.