Who was Rauf Azhar, JeM chief's brother killed in ‘Operation Sindoor' strike?
Abdul Rauf Azhar, brother of the Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Masood Azhar, was killed during a missile strike conducted by India in Bahawalpur on Wednesday under Operation Sindoor, along with nine other members of his family.
Also Read: Operation Sindoor: Who all from Masood Azhar's family were killed in Indian strike?
Under Operation Sindoor, the Indian military destroyed nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). The strikes were carried out in retaliation for the Pahalagam attack, which claimed 26 lives.
Mufti Abdul Rauf Azhar, along with Masood Azhar, was behind the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane IC-814 in December 1999 when it was en route from Kathmandu to Delhi.
The flight was taken over by five terrorists of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and taken to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Masood Azhar, later went on to head the Jaish-e-Mohammad.
Also Read: Remembering IC-814 hijacking and birth of Pak terror monster Masood Azhar
Though better known as the brother of Masood Azhar, Abdul Rauf Azhar was designated as a terrorist by the United States Treasury on December 2, 2010. The US treasury department cited his involvement in 'recruiting operatives and planning attacks in India and Afghanistan," and categorised him as a global threat.
Also Read: India slams China's Global Times on false info on Operation Sindoor: 'Verify your facts'
After Masood Azhar went underground, Rauf Azhar became the de-facto leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammed on 21 April 2007.
Since it was founded in 2000, the Jaish-e-Mohammad under the control of the two brothers was implicated in several terrorist attacks in India, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2002 murder of US journalist Daniel Pearl, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack.
India pushed to have Rauf Azhar blacklisted by the United Nations Security Council's 1267 Sanctions Committee in 2022, but the move was blocked by China, citing the need for 'further evidence."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
19 minutes ago
- Time of India
A month after Operation Sindoor's start, 2 trains send message to Pakistan
KATRA: PM Narendra Modi on Friday sought to rally people of Jammu and Kashmir against terrorism, saying Pakistan targeted the UT's tourism industry to cripple the livelihood of poor Kashmiris and accused the hostile neigbour of attacking both humanity and Kashmiriyat in Pahalgam, where terrorists had killed 25 tourists. Addressing a public gathering after flagging off two Vande Bharat trains between Katra and Srinagar, and launching other development projects, he said, "Our neighbouring country is against humanity, against harmony, against tourism... Pakistan attacked both humanity and Kashmiriyat in Pahalgam. Their intention was to incite communal riots in India..." Addressing his first public meeting in J&K after the Pahalgam massacre and Operation Sindoor , Modi said Pakistan's deliberate attack on tourists hurt local workers, including horse riders, porters, guides, guest house owners, and shopkeepers, aiming to destroy their livelihoods. "Terrorists also killed Adil, (pony ride operator) who challenged them. He too had gone there to work hard to take care of his family," Modi said. Modi said the hostile neighbour carried out brutal attacks, which the world witnessed, when it destroyed homes, bombed schools and hospitals, and shelled temples, mosques, and gurdwaras. He lauded the resilience of the people of J&K. "The youth of J&K have now made up their mind to give a befitting reply to terrorism, which burnt schools in the Valley and destroyed the future of two generations. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Due to terrorism it also became a big challenge for the public to choose representatives of their choice and hold elections," he said. "The atmosphere of development which has been created in J&K is not going to halt due to the Pahalgam terror attack. If anyone tries to create an obstruction in the way of the youth fulfilling their dreams, then that obstacle will have to face Modi first," the PM said. He recalled that exactly one month ago, on the intervening night of May 6-7, India had executed Operation Sindoor, delivering a decisive blow to Pakistan-based terrorists and terror camps. "Whenever Pakistan hears the name of Operation Sindoor, it will be reminded of its humiliating defeat," he said.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
Local languages to be medium of instruction in higher edu: Min
Indore: In the coming years, Indian and local languages will become the primary medium of instruction in higher education, said Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan while chairing the second meeting of the Consultative Committee of Parliament for the Ministry of Education in Indore on Thursday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The meeting, focused on "Promotion of Education in Bharatiya Bhasha in Higher Education," resulted in renewed commitment toward multilingual education as a foundation for Viksit Bharat by 2047. Pradhan underscored the govt's comprehensive efforts under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to strengthen mother tongue education. He said that the inclusion of Bharatiya Bhashas in higher education will enhance cognitive development, promote inclusivity, and preserve cultural heritage. "Technology and AI will play a pivotal role in translating academic content and enabling students from rural or economically disadvantaged backgrounds to learn in their preferred language," he added. Members of Parliament appreciated initiatives like Bhasha Sangam, which introduces students to 100 basic sentences in 22 Indian languages. They also welcomed the integration of AI tools such as Anuvadini and UDAAN for translation and multilingual content delivery. Senior officials, including School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar and Higher Education Secretary Dr Vineet Joshi, briefed the Committee on various initiatives, including the Bharatiya Bhasha Pustak Pariyojna, promotion of regional languages in IITs, and events like Matribhasha Diwas and Kashi Tamil Sangamam. They shared that India identified 1,369 mother tongues grouped into 121 languages, with 22 officially recognised in the Constitution. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Institutions like the Central Hindi Directorate, Central Institute of Indian Languages, and classical language Centres of Excellence are playing a critical role in realising this vision. The recent recognition of Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali as classical languages was also highlighted as a milestone in India's linguistic journey.
The Print
34 minutes ago
- The Print
Manish Tewari on Congress's Narender Surrender jibe—‘nature of politics, back-channel talks nothing new'
'So whenever there is a crisis, and if that crisis is between two nuclear weapon states, obviously, the rest of the world does not or cannot ignore it. So there are active conversations which take place in the back channel,' Tewari said Thursday, pointing out that under US President Donald Trump, such talks have been foregrounded. In an interview to ThePrint, Tewari said the Congress leadership's position that the Modi government bowed to the US pressure could be an outcome of the 'bitterly contested' nature of the Indian politics where 'nobody is prepared to give any quarter'. The Chandigarh MP travelled to Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia and South Africa as a member of the delegation headed by NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule. New Delhi: Former Union minister Manish Tewari, who travelled as part of an Operation Sindoor multi-party delegation, has downplayed the Congress party leadership's claim that the US President forced India to 'surrender' during May's four-day military conflict with Pakistan, saying back-channel conversations during such tense events were nothing new. 'It has been going on since 1990 as I documented with the Robert Gates mission when Pakistan started flashing the N (nuclear) word even eight years before its nuclear test in response to some fantasized Indian buildup in the western deserts, to Operation Parakram in 2001, to the Mumbai terror outrage in 2008, to Uri to Pulwama, and to Pahalgam and its aftermath. The only difference is while earlier back channeling was a quiet process, but now you have an incumbent in the White House who believes that back channeling is front channeling,' Tewari said. His remarks assume significance against the backdrop of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Narender Surrender' jibes, suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave in to US pressure to call off the military operation against Pakistan on 10 May. Gandhi reiterated his allegation Friday while addressing a rally in Bihar. Tewari, who is also a lawyer, suggested that Trump's claims that his administration played the role of a mediator was likely to be a stretch as that was a completely different format altogether. In contrast, the UN's attempt to resolve the Kashmir dispute in 1948 at the insistence of New Delhi was an attempt at mediation, Tewari said. 'Mediation has a more structured connotation to it, but, fortunately or unfortunately these terms keep getting used alternatively. And therefore it leads to a certain sense of ambiguity. But as I was earlier pointing out that when we took the dispute to the United Nations in 1948, the Jammu and Kashmir question at that point in time in pursuance of the UN resolution, there was the UN group on India and Pakistan on Kashmir. 'There was an attempt at a structured mediation. You see, a mediation or an arbitration or an alternative dispute resolution is when two parties agree to the terms of reference of a dispute, which then they allow an arbitrator or a mediator to try and adjudicate,' said Tewari. Asked about the Congress's official position, Tewari said it could be the reflection of a 'bitterly contested political space' where 'nobody is prepared to give any quarter' to the other side. 'In fact, even when the delegation was traveling, the kind of rhetoric which was being articulated by certain sections of the NDA/BJP establishment, was also something which was completely avoidable. But that unfortunately is the nature of our politics, whether you like it or not,' said Tewari, serving his third term as a Lok Sabha MP. However, Tewari added, there needs to be consensus on the fact that Pakistan has been a chronic sponsor of low-intensity conflict which needs to be exposed in the court of global opinion, 'as against whatever may be your internal dynamics or the questions that you may have surrounding the events of 7th 8th of May, the night of 7th, 8th of May till the 10th of May.' 'I, for one, understand and appreciate that distinction, and that's why we were completely focused on exposing Pakistan and trying to tell our interlocutors that this is not only a threat to the stability of South Asia, this is a threat to the stability of the world, given the very nature and the the chronic disposition of that state to use violence as a means of trying to achieve its senses,' he said. Responding to a question on the Congress leadership being upset over the Centre picking leaders like him, Shashi Tharoor, Salman Khurshid for the delegations instead of the names suggested by Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Tewari said such things do not bother him. 'Honestly, we have been in this contested, politically acerbic, bitter space for 25 years. And there is a larger national interest, which is at play, and that larger national interest is proscribing Pakistan, which uses terror as an instrument of state policy. And to me, that was the objective. And the rest of it, for someone who has been a card-carrying member of this noise for the last two-and-a-half decades, it's really no skin off my back,' he said. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: Ex-Congress minister who worked with Indira, Narasimha Rao, heads to RSS HQ to 'bridge Sangh-tribals gap'
