India has avenged my friend Daniel Pearl's killing in Bahawalpur
I still remember the chill I felt when I first heard of Bahawalpur. It was late January 2002. My dear friend and colleague, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, had just left a home I had rented on Zamzama Street in Karachi for an interview from which he never returned. We soon learned terrorists in Pakistan had kidnapped Danny. As we tried to trace Danny's steps, one name kept surfacing: the dusty city of Bahawalpur.
In the days that followed, we learned terrorists had murdered Danny, brutally beheading him and cutting him into pieces. Twenty-three years have passed, but the chain of events that led to Danny's murder continues to haunt us—and it runs straight through Bahawalpur.
This week, India's Operation Sindoor launched an airstrike on Bahawalpur and other terrorist targets, killing terrorist chief Abdul Rauf Azhar. To be clear, Abdul Rauf did not kidnap or murder Danny. But in 1999, he masterminded the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight 814, which forced India to release three terrorists - including his brother, Masood Azhar, and a British Pakistani, Omar Sheikh, who would go on to lure Danny into captivity. Another brother, Ibrahim Azhar, was a hijacker on Flight 814.
Abdul Rauf opened the prison door that allowed a kidnapper to walk free. His killing is a reminder that those who enable terror must answer for their actions.
Bahawalpur, where Abdul Rauf enjoyed a safe haven, is more than just a city. Since the 1990s, it has been a hub for a state-sponsored terrorism industry that has enabled global violence—killing innocents in India, Pakistan and around the world. It's where the story of Danny's murder began.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
Oppn will have opportunity to seek answers during Monsoon session, Govt ready to address all concerns: Shekhawat
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel With opposition parties demanding a special Parliament session in light of Operation Sindoor , Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday asserted that the government has nothing to hide and they will have ample opportunity to ask questions during the Monsoon Session , which is a few weeks BJP leader, however, expressed doubts about whether the opposition parties intended to seek answers and pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken extensively in recent days on key national issues, including Operation Sindoor, that they have been Congress on Sunday demanded the immediate convening of a special session of Parliament to discuss the military and foreign policy strategy in the wake of remarks by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Congress also asked that the government take all parties and the nation into confidence and discuss India's defence preparedness and strategy after Operation to the media on Sunday, Union Culture and Tourism Shekhawat pointed out that India's parliamentary system already has well-established procedures for members to raise issues in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and seek answers."The Monsoon Session is about to start in the next 20-25 days, everyone will get an opportunity" to raise their issues, Shekhawat emphasised that the government is willing to resolve any confusion or concerns raised by the opposition and there is nothing to hide."In my view, the opposition should first decide what exactly they want to hear from the prime minister."If their intention is truly to seek answers, then over the past three days, the prime minister has already spoken in detail from three different parts of the country on the current state of the nation, Operation Sindoor, and all the key issues the opposition has been raising," Shekhawat to Operation Sindoor, the BJP leader noted that the global community has been deeply impressed by India's courage and strength displayed during the took a swipe at the opposition parties, saying when they run out of substantive matters, they often resort to sensational topics to grab attention."In the last three days alone, the prime minister has addressed key national concerns, including Operation Sindoor, in great detail. These are the very matters the opposition claims it wants answers on," Shekhawat the arrest of the personal secretary to former Congress minister Saleh Mohammad on charges of espionage, Shekhawat called the situation "unfortunate". He stressed that a comprehensive investigation should be conducted into the matter."Be it a former minister or someone else, when it comes to national security, there must be a thorough and fair investigation."Every association and link of such persons must be scrutinised. Such anti-national activities cannot go unpunished," he said.
Hindustan Times
24 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Operation Sindoor is not over yet: Amit Shah in Kolkata
Kolkata: Operation Sindoor is not yet over and anyone who dares to do anything will be given a befitting reply, Union home minister Amit Shah said in Kolkata on Saturday. Addressing an organisational meeting of theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kolkata's Netaji Indoor stadium, Amit Shah also launched a scathing attack against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal and added that the BJP would form the government in the state in 2026. He also said that the violence, which erupted in Murshidabad district over the Waqf (Amendment) Act in April this year, was 'state-sponsored.' Earlier in the day, Shah inaugurated a new building of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Kolkata. 'When violence erupted in Murshidabad, the Union home ministry repeatedly requested the state to deploy the BSF. The state didn't. Central forces were deployed on the orders of the high court. A TMC leader was present at the spot to encourage the rioters. It was state-sponsored,' Shah said. 'Bengal was under the Communist regime for many years. Later Mamata didi came to power with her Ma Mati Manush slogan. Today she has turned the state into a hub of infiltration, corruption, crime against women, bomb blasts and atrocities against Hindus,' Shah said. He also said that even though poll-related violence has stopped across the country, in West Bengal, however, hundreds of BJP workers were killed during polls and in post-poll violence. 'Didi, your time has come to end. The BJP will form the government in 2026. Didi, if you have the courage, contest the elections without violence and rigging. The people of Bengal will not even allow you to retain the security deposit' 'Election in West Bengal doesn't just determine the future of the state. It is also linked to national security. Mamata Banerjee has opened the international borders for infiltrators. She is allowing infiltration to increase her vote bank so that later her nephew may remain in power. But this won't happen,' he added. The TMC, however, said that the party would return to power for the fourth time in a row with more than 250 seats. 'Shah is dreaming of BJP coming to power in West Bengal in 2026? What kind of illusionary dream is that? The TMC would return to power with more than 250 seats and Mamata Banerjee would again become the chief minister,' said Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, TMC MP. Shah also accused Banerjee of opposing Operation Sindoor and playing with the sentiments of women. 'When Modi came to Bengal after Operation Sindoor, she made a shoddy political comment to oppose Operation Sindoor. I want to tell her that she has played with the sentiments of millions of mothers and sisters across the country. The TMC, however, hit back saying that it is the Election Commission of India which conducts the election and if there is violence and rigging, it is a failure of the ECI.
Economic Times
27 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Mallikarjun Kharge asks PM Modi to stop 'self praise', recuse himself from election campaign
Commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public speeches after Operation Sindoor, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge urged him to "focus on the enemy instead of self-boasting" and to recuse himself from election campaign. "I don't like reacting to all his (Modi's) statements," Kharge said while addressing reporters in Bengaluru. "But my only request to him is that those in power should sometimes keep their mouth shut." Kharge questioned the Prime Minister's recent public statements and political activities, suggesting that Modi should temporarily step back from electoral campaigning. "Modi should recuse himself from elections and focus on the country. He should understand whatever has happened in the country and speak," he remarked."I am saying without any political differences that he (Modi) should focus on the enemy instead of self-boasting that no one except for him would have done it. Our full support is with the Armed Forces," he to ongoing developments linked to Operation Sindoor, Kharge noted that Congress delegations had travelled abroad for consultations. "Let them come back. Till they return, it is not proper to be touring around and giving speeches," he said. The opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha reiterated the Congress party's unwavering support for the Indian Armed Congress chief also took a swipe at the Prime Minister's earlier assertion that the military had been given a free hand. "When Modi has said he has given full power to the armed forces, then why is he claiming that he did it? Self-boasting is not good." Emphasising the need for political restraint during sensitive times, Kharge said, "We will not say anything as the situation is not normal." He cited the example of restraint shown in Pakistan's parliament during previous India-Pakistan tensions, stating, "When the clashes broke out between India and Pakistan, a discussion started in Pakistan's parliament not to speak anything against the country." "So long as there is an army, we all are safe. That's why we support the armed forces," he said.
