The Indian Armed Forces had launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7 and targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). In these precision strikes, the Islamabad-backed terror groups faced a large number of casualties, as over 100 terrorists were killed. Amongst the terrorists who faced losses was the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar.
It is worth noting that it wasn’t just casualties—Indian forces also demolished Pakistan-based terror organisations’ headquarters, launchpads, and training facilities. Now, reportedly, the Pakistan establishment is helping terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and JeM rebuild their facilities, because it is also significant for them to keep the chiefs of the terrorist organisations out of harm’s way.
Masood Azhar is one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world and is responsible for several attacks in India. Notably, to secure his release from an Indian jail, his associates had orchestrated the IC-814 hijack. Following his release, he founded the terrorist organisation JeM, and one of their first attacks was on the Indian Parliament.
Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Morale Down?
According to a report by the news agency IANS, in the aftermath of the Indian retaliatory strikes codenamed Operation Sindoor and the recent ‘Operation Mahadev’, the morale of the JeM cadre is extremely down. What is more interesting is that the Pakistan establishment has given top-notch security to LeT chief, Hafiz Saeed, and JeM head, Masood Azhar.
The report further stated that the Intelligence officials say that in comparison to LeT, the morale of the JeM terrorists is worse.
Here are the factors affecting the JeM cadres’ morale:
a) In India’s Operation Sindoor, the JeM was hit the hardest as the Indian Armed Forces destroyed the JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur.
b) The Indian strikes also killed 10 members of Masood Azhar’s family, including his brother Rauf Asghar.
Masood Azhar, at the time of the Indian strikes, was not present at the Bahawalpur facility that was known as Jamia Subhan Allah. He was at the Jamia Usman O Ali, which is a Mosque located in a populated part of the city. This is where his old residence is, and it is near a hospital. However, immediately after the attack, he was moved out of his old residence.
Meanwhile, his cadres are losing spirit and morale, and thus some members of the JeM have been circulating old audio clips. They are passing it off as the latest ones and are falsely claiming that Masood Azhar is in Bahawalpur.
Masood Azhar In Hiding?
Masood Azhar cannot make any public appearances because the Indian agencies are tracking him very closely, and therefore, the ISI has changed his location multiple times after Operation Sindoor to keep him off the radar.
To draw a timeline of his movement, he was kept at a safe house in Rawalpindi for nearly ten days. According to IANS, while moving him to multiple locations, the ISI has made sure that he is nowhere near Bahawalpur.
Moreover, the JeM has also decided not to rebuild its headquarters at the Bahawalpur location. Reportedly, they are planning to construct their headquarters at a location that is closer to an army establishment in Pakistan.
Masood Azhar was even at one time taken to Gilgit-Baltistan, which is nearly 1,200 kilometres away from the Bahawalpur facility. The Intelligence agencies that are tracking him learnt that he was at this place for close to 20 days. During this period, he was made to shuttle between two different mosques.
It was at the same time that he had been kept in a Madrasa, a government guest house. Later on, he was moved to a private guest house before being taken out of Skardu.
As Masood Azhar’s movement is under a microscope, Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto, had claimed that the JeM head was in Afghanistan.
Masood Azhar had also briefly stayed at Peshwar, the same place he was housed following the Balakot air strike, during which a JeM facility had been hit.
The ISI is also keeping a close guard on Hafiz Saeed and Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, who are reportedly in a safe house in Islamabad.
(with IANS inputs)