In a major revelation, India has confirmed that Abdul Rauf Azhar- the operational head of Jaish-e-Mohammed and the mastermind behind the IC-814 hijacking- was neutralised during Operation Sindoor in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Officials have confirmed the strike that killed him during the operation.
Abdul Rauf Azhar played a key role in the 2002 abduction and brutal murder of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl. With India’s recent strikes on nine terror camps across Pakistan and PoK, many see it as long-overdue justice for the American-Jewish reporter whose killing had shocked the world.
“Among those reported eliminated is Abdul Rauf Azhar- operational head of Jaishe-Mohammad, mastermind of the IC-814 hijacking, and a central figure in international jihadist networks,” the officials said.
“Rauf Azhar’s role in orchestrating the IC-814 hijacking directly facilitated the release of Omar Saeed Sheikh, a key Al-Qaeda operative who went on to kidnap and murder Daniel Pearl, an American-Jewish journalist with the Wall Street Journal. Pearl’s brutal execution in 2002 shocked the conscience of the world and remains a defining example of the global threat posed by state-protected terror networks,” officials added.
Where Was The Attack
In a decisive move, Indian armed forces struck Bahawalpur and Muridke in Pakistan’s Punjab province — locations known to house the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. These two terror groups have been behind numerous deadly attacks on Indian soil, leaving behind years of pain and loss. The strikes were seen as a strong message and a step towards holding those responsible accountable.
Hijacking Of Indian Airlines Plane IC-814
Abdul Rauf Azhar played a key role in one of India’s most harrowing hostage crises- the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in December 1999. The flight, which was on its way from Kathmandu to Delhi, was taken over by five armed terrorists from Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and forced to land in Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan. The standoff ended with India being compelled to release Masood Azhar in exchange for the safety of over 150 passengers.
Soon after his release, Masood Azhar went on to form Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a terror outfit that would go on to orchestrate some of the most devastating attacks on Indian soil, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the 2016 Pathankot airbase strike. Despite being officially banned in Pakistan after the Parliament attack, Jaish has continued to operate openly, with support and sanctuary in the country.
