For the first time ever, the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad has admitted that family members of its leader, Masood Azhar were killed during India's strike in Bahawalpur as part of Operation Sindoor. In a viral video, a top Jaish commander named Masood Ilyas Kashmiri is seen along with security personnel acknowledging the losses suffered by the terrorist group. Kashmiri said that Azhar's family was "torn into pieces" during the May 7th attack on the Jaish headquarters, which is the Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur. Kashmiri stated, "After sacrificing everything, on May 7, Maulana Masood Azhar's family was torn apart by Indian forces in Bahawalpur".

The operation was launched to respond to the April 22nd terror attack in Pahalgam that resulted in the death of 25 tourists. Along with Bahawalpur, eight other terror sites were destroyed as India carried out its most daring airstrike deep inside Pakistan. In the strike on Bahawalpur, which is the 12th largest city in Pakistan and is located 400 kilometres from Lahore, 10 of Azhar's relatives were among those who were killed. This included his sister, her husband, his nephew, his niece and children from his extended family.

Four of Azhar's aides were also killed in the early morning attack. Satellite images showed a lot of damage to one of the mosque's domes and major destruction inside. While Pakistan never admitted the fact, eyewitnesses and foreign media reports said that state funerals were held in May for Azhar's family members. Azhar, who has rarely been seen in public, also made a brief appearance and left the location within minutes.

A United Nations-banned terrorist, Azhar, was the mastermind of major terror attacks in India, including the 2016 Pathankot strike and the 2019 Pulwama attack, which resulted in the death of 44 soldiers. According to the latest intelligence information accessed by India Today, Azhar was last seen in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Gilgit Baltistan region, which is more than 1,000 kilometres away from his Bahawalpur stronghold. He was seen in Skardu, which is a popular tourist destination. This goes against the claim of former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who said that Azhar might be in Afghanistan.