Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar has acknowledged the deaths of 14 individuals—10 of them his own relatives during India’s overnight airstrikes carried out under Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. The revelation comes via a statement cited by news agency PTI, marking the first public response from the UN-designated terrorist following the targetted bombing of JeM’s strongholds.

Azhar’s statement named the casualties from the strike on JeM’s headquarters Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, Pakistan including his elder sister, her husband, a nephew and his wife, a niece, and five children from his extended family. He also claimed that four of his close associates perished in the assault. Referring to the deceased as “guests of Allah,” Azhar expressed no remorse, stating, “Ten members of my family were blessed with this happiness together tonight.”

What Masood Azhar Further Said

He added, “My beloved scholar Fazilah (niece), my respected scholar nephew and his wife, my brother Huzaifah and his mother are among them. Two more dear companions have also attained martyrdom.” Despite the personal loss, Azhar said he felt no sorrow or despair, and instead wished he had joined “this fourteen-member happy caravan.” He has reportedly invited followers to participate in funeral prayers for the deceased.

The Indian military launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of Wednesday, firing 24 precision-guided missiles at nine verified terrorist locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). According to Indian defense sources, the strikes resulted in the deaths of over 70 militants and injured more than 60 others. The attacks were said to be in direct response to the Pahalgam massacre, in which 26 civilians were killed.

Officials in New Delhi emphasised that while civilian casualties were deeply regrettable, the operation was executed with significant care to avoid them. “All targets were selected based on confirmed intelligence and were directly linked to terror networks. Strikes were conducted late at night when civilian presence would be minimal,” a government official explained.

India’s use of precision-guided munitions and focused targeting was credited for minimising collateral damage, despite the challenges of conducting military operations against groups embedded within densely populated urban areas. “This kind of asymmetric warfare often sees militants using civilian structures as shields, complicating the effort to avoid non-combatant casualties entirely,” the source said.

In contrast, Indian officials accused Pakistan of attempting to exaggerate civilian harm in an effort to sway global opinion. During a post-operation briefing, the Indian defence establishment presented imagery to illustrate that the damage was restricted to terror facilities. “The international community must understand that India exercised remarkable restraint,” a senior defence official stated.

Masood Azhar, 56, remains a fugitive wanted for orchestrating several major terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai siege, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. Although he is widely believed to reside in Pakistan, the Pakistani government continues to deny any knowledge of his whereabouts.