India Claims Strike on Terror Leader Behind Daniel Pearl’s Killing in Major Anti-Terror Operation
By The Media Line Staff
India has announced the killing of Abdul Rauf Azhar, a senior commander of the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and a key figure in the 2002 beheading of Jewish American journalist Daniel Pearl, during a large-scale military operation on May 7. The operation, named “Operation Sindoor,” targeted multiple terror hideouts across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, following a deadly attack on Hindu pilgrims in the Pahalgam region of Kashmir in April.
According to Indian officials, airstrikes were carried out on nine terrorist strongholds, including a major JeM base in Bahawalpur. Intelligence reports indicate that nearly 100 terrorists were killed, including Azhar and several members of JeM founder Masood Azhar’s family. “Precise strikes were carried out on nine terror hideouts, close to 100 terrorists killed, counting still underway,” said an official briefing opposition leaders. Masood Azhar later confirmed the deaths of family members in a statement.
Azhar’s death carries symbolic weight for India and the West. He was involved in the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814, which led to the release of Omar Saeed Sheikh—the man who went on to kidnap and murder Pearl. Pearl, South Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, had been investigating connections between Pakistan’s intelligence services and extremist networks when he was abducted in Karachi. A video of his murder was released in February 2002.
During his captivity, Pearl was forced to speak on camera. “My father’s Jewish, my mother’s Jewish, I’m Jewish. My family follows Judaism. Back in the town of Bnei Brak, there is a street named after my great-grandfather, Chaim Pearl, who was one of the founders of the town,” he said, moments before his execution.
Asra Nomani, Pearl’s friend and colleague, reflected on the event’s deeper context. “Danny reported on the militant offices in Bahawalpur. He literally knocked on their doors,” she wrote on X. “Danny was no cowboy. This was a calculated low-risk reporting trip because no journalist had been targeted for kidnapping in Pakistan.”
India has framed Operation Sindoor as part of a broader global fight against terrorism, emphasizing that its actions targeted only those responsible for violent extremism. “This action is not just in India’s interest, it resonates with the broader global fight against terrorism,” said a senior Indian official.
The operation has drawn international support. US Congressman Shri Thanedar, a Democrat from Michigan, stated, “Terrorism cannot be tolerated, and it cannot go unpunished. India has the right to defend its people.” France, the UK, Israel, and Panama all expressed solidarity with India, praising its actions against terrorist groups. Dutch MP Geert Wilders declared on social media, “Kashmir is 100% Indian,” using the hashtag #PakistanBehindPahalgam.
Pakistan, meanwhile, rejected India’s claims and accused New Delhi of killing civilians, warning that the strikes had brought the two nuclear-armed nations dangerously close to conflict. “India’s reckless action has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict,” said Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Despite Islamabad’s denials, India insists that the strike was a targeted effort to dismantle infrastructure used by groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, both of which have long operated with impunity in parts of Pakistan.
For many, the killing of Abdul Rauf Azhar closes a tragic chapter that began more than two decades ago in Karachi. “Today, India delivered justice for the brutal murder of American Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl,” said activist Amy Mek. “Operation Sindoor struck at the heart of terror.”
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