Pakistan recently announced compensation for families of terrorists killed in India’s retaliatory strikes following the Pahalgam attack. These announcements come in the wake of the first disbursement of a 1 billion dollar International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan. The strikes, part of Operation Sindoor, targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on May 7, neutralising over 100 terrorists in response to a deadly attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, that killed 26 civilians. The controversy has escalated with evidence of Pakistani military officials attending the funerals of slain terrorists, raising questions about Pakistan’s commitment to counter-terrorism and the IMF’s role in indirectly funding extremist activities.
Pakistan’s Relief Package for “Martyrs”
On May 10, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a comprehensive relief package for those affected by India’s strikes, including families of “martyrs” and injured individuals. The package, detailed by the Associated Press of Pakistan, includes:
- Rs10 million for families of civilian “martyrs” and Rs1- 2 million for injured civilians.
- Rs10-18 million for families of Pakistan Army “martyrs,” with home facility allowances ranging from Rs19-42 million based on rank.
- Continuation of full salaries and allowances for martyrs until their scheduled retirement.
- Free education up to graduation for martyrs’ children and a Rs1 million marriage grant for one daughter per martyr.
- Rs2-5 million for injured armed forces personnel, depending on injury severity.
- Reconstruction of homes and mosques damaged in the strikes and full coverage of medical expenses for the injured.
Sharif emphasised that the government would honour its “sacred duty” to care for martyrs’ families, framing the package as a gesture of national solidarity. However, Indian authorities and critics have condemned the initiative, alleging that the funds are compensating families of designated terrorists, including members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), killed in the strikes.
India’s Operation Sindoor and the Terrorist Targets
The controversy stems from India’s Operation Sindoor, a 25-minute precision airstrike campaign executed between 1:05 AM and 1:30 AM on May 7. The operation targeted nine terrorist infrastructure sites across Pakistan and PoJK, including Sawai Nalla (LeT training camp, Muzaffarabad, PoJK), Sarjal and Kotli (PoJK), Muridke (LeT headquarters, Punjab, Pakistan), Mehmoona Joya (Hizbul Mujahideen facility, Sialkot, Pakistan), Bahawalpur (JeM stronghold, Pakistan) and Markaz Ahle Hadith (LeT facility, Barnala, Pakistan).
Indian officials described the strikes as “measured” and “non-escalatory,” targeting only terrorist facilities to avoid civilian or military casualties. The operation was a direct response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack, claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), an LeT offshoot, which killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists.
Indian authorities released profiles of key terrorists killed in the strikes, exposing their roles in cross-border terrorism, Mudassar Khadian Khas (alias Abu Jundal), an LeT operative managing Markaz Taiba in Muridke, received a guard of honor from the Pakistan Army at his funeral, attended by a serving Lieutenant General and Punjab Police IG.
Hafiz Muhammed Jameel, JeM’s head of Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, was involved in youth radicalisation and fundraising. Mohammad Yusuf Azhar (alias Ustad Ji), a JeM operative and brother-in-law of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, orchestrated attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and was linked to the 1999 IC-814 hijacking.
Khalid (alias Abu Akasha), an LeT operative involved in attacks and weapons smuggling. Mohammad Hassan Khan, son of JeM’s PoK commander, coordinated terrorist attacks. Three terrorists killed in Muridke were identified as JuD members, serving as prayer leaders and caretakers at a mosque destroyed in the strikes.
Pakistani Military’s Presence at Terrorist Funerals
Images and videos circulating on social media have exposed senior Pakistani military and police officials attending the funerals of slain terrorists, with coffins draped in Pakistan’s national flag, a gesture typically reserved for state honours. On May 11, the Indian Armed Forces identified key attendees, including:
- Lieutenant General Fayyaz Hussain Shah, Commander of IV Corps, Lahore
- Major General Rao Imran Satraj, 11th Infantry Division, Lahore
- Brigadier Mohammad Furqan Shabbir
- Dr. Usman Anwar, Inspector General of Punjab Police
- Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bherth, Member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab
A particularly damning video showed Hafiz Abdul Rauf, a US-designated global terrorist and senior LeT leader, leading funeral prayers in Muridke for three terrorists killed in the strikes. Rauf, also head of the banned Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), was sanctioned by the US in 2010 for his role in LeT’s financial and logistical networks, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, during a May 8 press briefing, presented photographic evidence of Pakistani officials at the funerals, stating, “Giving terrorists state funerals may be a practice in Pakistan. It doesn’t seem to make much sense to us.” Misri criticised Pakistan’s opposition to listing TRF at the UN Security Council while honouring its operatives, highlighting the contradiction in Pakistan’s anti-terrorism stance.
Pakistan’s Defence and the Osama Connection
Pakistan’s military has attempted to downplay the controversy, with Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), defending Hafiz Abdul Rauf as an “innocent family man” and “preacher.”
Chaudhry presented Rauf’s National Identity Card, claiming he was a welfare worker for the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML). However, US Treasury records confirm Rauf’s role in LeT and FIF, with his CNIC details matching those in sanctions documents.
The controversy has also spotlighted Chaudhry’s father, Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood, a Pakistani nuclear scientist with documented ties to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Mahmood, who founded Ummah Tameer-e-Nau (UTN) in 1999, met bin Laden in 2001, raising concerns about his nuclear expertise. Detained by the CIA and FBI, Mahmood claimed his discussions were humanitarian, but his release and subsequent writings about “djinns” have fueled doubts about Pakistan’s reliability as a nuclear-armed state.
IMF Disbursement and International Criticism
The IMF’s approval of a $1 billion disbursement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and $1.4 billion under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) has drawn sharp criticism. India abstained from the IMF Executive Board vote, issuing a formal objection through its Finance Ministry, which warned that such funds could be diverted to military or terrorist activities due to the lack of “moral safeguards” in IMF processes.
Former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal called the decision “terrible optics,” arguing that the IMF’s governance favours Western powers and lacks accountability.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah questioned how de-escalation could be expected when the IMF is “essentially reimbursing Pakistan” for attacks on India. Mariam Solaimankhil, a former Afghan MP, accused the IMF of “bankrolling bloodshed,” stating, “How long will the world pay Pakistan to kill?”
Global Implications and the FATF Meeting
The revelations come ahead of a Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting next week, where Pakistan’s compliance with anti-terrorism financing regulations will be scrutinised. India has called for international action, with diplomats arguing that Pakistan’s actions contradict its claims of combating terrorism. The presence of senior officials at terrorist funerals, combined with the use of IMF funds for compensation, has intensified calls for stricter sanctions and oversight.
As tensions between India and Pakistan escalate, the international community faces a critical decision: support India’s fight against terrorism or continue funding what critics call a “terror factory.”
