Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, May 7: Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Azhar Masood has confirmed that ten members of his family were killed during India's precision missile strikes under Operation Sindoor, carried out in the early hours of Wednesday. The statement, released in Urdu to the media, marks the first public acknowledgment from the top militant leader following the surgical air strikes.
Masood said the deceased included five children, his elder sister and her husband, a scholar nephew, his wife, his niece, and longtime associate Hazifa along with Hazifa’s mother and two colleagues. Expressing deep grief, Masood accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of targeting “innocent children, devout Muslim women and the elderly.”
Despite the personal loss, Masood issued a threatening statement. “I am not sorry, nor afraid. The killing of children and innocents has not weakened our spirit. Indians should expect no mercy,” he said. He vowed revenge, stating that the fallen minaret of Subhanullah mosque would “fall on the Indian people” in a way future generations would remember.
Funeral prayers for the 14 people killed in the strikes were scheduled to be held at 4 pm, according to his statement.
India’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that nine high-value terror targets were struck between 1.05 am and 1.30 am on Wednesday in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including areas like Muridke, Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad. The strikes avoided Pakistani military installations, emphasising India's focus on neutralising terrorist infrastructure alone.
In retaliation, the Pakistan Army launched heavy mortar shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), violating the ceasefire. Seven civilians were killed and 38 injured in shelling in the Poonch district. Ceasefire violations were also reported in Uri, Karnah, Rajouri, and other sensitive regions.
Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, reviewed the situation along the LoC and directed local authorities to move vulnerable populations to safer locations.
In a parallel move, the Indian Air Force has assumed control of Srinagar airport, suspending all civilian flights until May 10 as a precautionary measure.