Who Is Abdul Rauf Azhar? Jaish Strongman, Mastermind Behind IC814 Hijacking Killed
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Masood Azhar's brother and JeM's operational chief, Rauf was behind some of India's worst terror attacks. His death is being seen as a major strategic win for India
In the early hours of May 7, 2025, under the banner of Operation Sindoor, India launched a series of precise cross-border strikes targeting key terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. One of the most consequential targets lay deep inside Bahawalpur: the Markaz Subhan Allah complex, Jaish-e-Mohammed's ideological and operational nerve centre. Among those killed in the 23-minute coordinated assault was Abdul Rauf Azhar, the elusive and dangerous commander of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and the younger brother of its founder, Masood Azhar.
His death marks the end of a long chapter in South Asia's battle against cross-border terrorism—one that spanned over two decades and left a bloody trail across India.
FROM THE SHADOWS OF BAHAWALPUR
Abdul Rauf Azhar, also known as Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, was born in Bahawalpur in Pakistan's Punjab province. While overshadowed publicly by his brother Masood Azhar, Rauf was no mere foot soldier.
He was the operational brain behind JeM, often acting as its de facto chief during Masood Azhar's absences. Unlike his more visible brother, Rauf avoided the limelight — rarely photographed, never heard in public, and known primarily through intelligence briefings.
But within jihadi circles, he wielded considerable operational control — quietly directing JeM's most high-profile attacks across Indian soil.
Even after Pakistan formally banned JeM in 2002 under international pressure, Rauf remained active. He is believed to have overseen the group's operations through front organisations, sustained fundraising efforts, and coordinated recruitment drives — all while continuing to enjoy freedom of movement within Pakistan.
He belonged to the Deobandi school of Sunni Islam, which heavily influenced JeM's ideological underpinnings and outreach efforts across South Asia.
Rauf Azhar's fingerprints were found on some of the most brazen terror attacks in India in recent history. His operational tactics typically focused on symbolic targets, strategic timing, and acts calculated to provoke maximum disruption.
1999 | IC-814 Hijacking: Rauf was central to planning the hijack of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 from Kathmandu to Kandahar. The hostage crisis led to the release of Masood Azhar, who would go on to form JeM shortly after. The hijacking significantly raised Rauf's profile within Pakistan's jihadi networks and deepened his operational role within JeM.
2001 | Indian Parliament Attack: Considered a near-declaration of war, this assault on India's democratic heart was allegedly planned with Lashkar-e-Taiba in coordination with Rauf Azhar's operatives. It brought India and Pakistan to the brink of a full-scale military conflict.
2005 | Ayodhya Temple Attack: An attempt to ignite communal violence, the strike on the makeshift Ram temple site bore the hallmarks of JeM's ideology and Rauf's operational playbook—blend religious provocation with lethal audacity.
2016 | Pathankot Airbase Attack: Rauf is believed to have supervised the infiltration and planning behind the Pathankot assault, which involved six heavily armed Pakistani terrorists breaching a critical military facility.
INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS AND DIPLOMATIC ROADBLOCKS
In 2010, the United States Treasury Department designated Abdul Rauf Azhar as a global terrorist, citing his involvement in 'recruiting operatives and planning attacks in India and Afghanistan."
Yet, when India pushed to have him blacklisted by the United Nations Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee in 2022, the move was blocked by China, citing the need for 'further evidence." It wasn't the first time Beijing used its veto to shield figures linked to Pakistan-based terror outfits, highlighting the geopolitical web that often complicates counterterrorism efforts.
Despite international pressure, successive Pakistani governments did little to rein him in. Intelligence assessments across multiple countries concluded that Rauf continued to receive institutional protection from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which viewed JeM as a strategic asset in its asymmetric campaign against India.
Abdul Rauf Azhar was killed in the Indian Air Force's precision strike on Bahawalpur as part of Operation Sindoor—a cross-border operation launched in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Targeted specifically was the Markaz Subhan Allah complex, Jaish-e-Mohammed's ideological hub and training ground. Alongside Rauf, ten members of Masood Azhar's extended family and four close aides were also eliminated. Indian sources confirmed the compound housed infrastructure linked not only to indoctrination but also to advanced tactical training and logistics.
The operation was described by Indian officials as a 'clinical and non-civilian engagement", with no damage to surrounding areas—contrasting sharply with Pakistani propaganda claiming civilian deaths, which has since been debunked by independent imagery and fact-checks.
LEGACY AND FALLOUT
Rauf Azhar's death deals a severe blow to JeM's leadership and morale. It also signals a major shift in India's counter-terror doctrine — from reactive diplomacy to pre-emptive, precision military action. Far from inviting global criticism, Operation Sindoor has drawn broad international support, with key powers backing India's right to defend itself against cross-border terrorism.
For years, Abdul Rauf Azhar functioned as a ghost—always one step ahead of intelligence agencies, shuttling between safehouses in Bahawalpur and Rawalpindi, with institutional protection from Pakistan's military-intelligence apparatus.
Operation Sindoor changed that.
THE ROAD AHEAD
With Rauf Azhar dead and Masood Azhar in frail health and hiding, Jaish-e-Mohammed's core leadership has been decapitated. However, as history has shown, terror groups often regenerate, especially in Pakistan's permissive ecosystem. The challenge now lies in ensuring strategic follow-through—diplomatically, militarily, and through international partnerships—to prevent the rise of the next Rauf Azhar.
For now, one of India's most wanted has been eliminated, not in secrecy, but through a deliberate, high-precision strike witnessed by the world.
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Abdul Rauf Azhar Jaish-e-Mohammed Masood Azhar Operation Sindoor
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New Delhi, India, India
First Published:
May 08, 2025, 14:44 IST
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