Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri has made a crucial revelation that directly exposes the Pakistani government and military establishment for their role in terror attacks against India. His statements contradict Pakistan’s long-standing denials and confirm India’s repeated claims regarding the safe havens of terrorists within Pakistani territory.
Masood Ilyas revealed in a recently surfaced video that JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar was the mastermind behind major terror attacks in Delhi and Mumbai. He admitted that Azhar had been planning terrorist strikes on Indian soil while operating from Pakistan. These revelations are a serious blow to Pakistan’s narrative, which has consistently sought to distance itself from JeM’s operations.
According to Ilyas, Masood Azhar came to Pakistan after completing a five-year prison sentence in India. Once back in Pakistan, Azhar reorganised his network and used Balakot as his primary base of operations. This directly links Balakot, the site of the 2019 Indian airstrikes, to JeM’s terror infrastructure. Ilyas confirmed that he himself had plotted terrorist acts from Balakot under the leadership of Azhar. He declared that Balakot provided the platform for JeM’s goals, missions, and strategies to be executed against India.
Ilyas went on to claim that Azhar orchestrated the devastating attacks in Delhi and Mumbai that shook India. He described Azhar as the central figure behind the terror campaign and also referred to Osama bin Laden as a martyr who had influenced the ideological foundation of their operations. His words not only affirm India’s long-standing position but also reveal the ideological links between JeM and global jihadist networks.
Pakistan’s Military Nexus with JeM and Global Fallout
The JeM commander further disclosed that Pakistan’s military establishment was directly complicit in supporting JeM cadres. He alleged that senior military officials had received instructions to attend the funerals of JeM terrorists killed in Bahawalpur during Indian airstrikes under Operation Sindoor. According to him, these orders came directly from Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir. This admission undermines Pakistan’s repeated claims that its military and government had no connection to JeM activities. It also confirms that JeM was operating under the protection and supervision of Pakistan’s armed forces.
On May 7, Jaish-e-Mohammad’s top commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri admitted that during #OpSindoor , a precise Indian attack in Bahawalpur destroyed the household of his leader Masood Azhar, leaving his family torn apart. pic.twitter.com/1gAlERUkDF
— BALA (@erbmjha) September 16, 2025
Ilyas’s revelation gains further significance in the context of reports that surfaced on Tuesday from Kashmiri officials. These reports stated that the May 7 attack on Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah, JeM’s headquarters in Bahawalpur, had caused heavy damage. The bombing reportedly resulted in the death of some of Azhar’s family members, further highlighting the vulnerability of JeM’s core leadership within Pakistan.
JeM, founded by Masood Azhar in 2000, has been responsible for some of the deadliest terrorist attacks against India. These include the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack that killed seven soldiers, and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF jawans. Azhar’s name has consistently figured in India’s dossiers presented to international agencies. In May 2019, the United Nations Security Council formally declared him a global terrorist, acknowledging his central role in directing terrorism.
Masood Azhar was born in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan in 1968. His militant career began with Harkat-ul-Ansar, a group active during the Soviet-Afghan War. He rose to become the organization’s general secretary in the late 1990s. By 1998, the CIA had concluded that Harkat-ul-Ansar was supporting terror operations in Kashmir.
Despite mounting evidence and repeated requests by India, Pakistan has refused to hand over Masood Azhar or Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed. The Pakistani government has often claimed ignorance of their whereabouts. In July, former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto suggested in an interview with Al Jazeera that Azhar might be in Afghanistan, though no evidence has been produced to support this claim.
Ilyas’s statements have now added weight to India’s argument that JeM camps are not only operating in Pakistan but are also under the supervision of its security and military institutions. The revelation has once again put Pakistan in a tight spot internationally, reinforcing its image as a state sponsor of terrorism and exposing the duplicity of its claims before the global community.
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