Thu May 08 10:50:00 UTC 2025: ## BJP Claims Killing of Jaish-e-Mohammed Leader Abdul Rauf Azhar in Indian Air Strikes
**NEW DELHI** – The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed Thursday that Abdul Rauf Azhar, a wanted Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist, was killed in Indian air strikes codenamed “Operation Sindur.” Azhar, the brother of JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar, allegedly led the banned organization in his brother’s absence and was implicated in several high-profile attacks, including the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and the Kandahar hijacking.
The BJP announced the news via a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that Azhar was among several members of Masood Azhar’s family killed in the strikes. The party linked Azhar to the Parliament attack, the Kandahar hijacking, and the Pathankot terror attack.
These claims follow Maulana Masood Azhar’s admission on Wednesday that ten family members and four close associates were killed in missile strikes targeting JeM headquarters in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. The Indian armed forces launched “Operation Sindur” late Tuesday, carrying out missile strikes on nine terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation was a reprisal for a recent terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on April 22, which killed 26 people. The Indian government has yet to officially confirm the BJP’s claims.
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