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First Post
01-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Months after Operation Sindoor strikes, how Jaish is rebuilding its headquarters in Pakistan's Bahawalpur
Nearly two months after India's Operation Sindoor, Pakistan is rebuilding its terror infrastructure. The latest indicator: a swimming pool that has reopened at Jaish-e-Mohammed's Bahawalpur terror base. The terror group has also announced classes to train recruits. Is this a worry for New Delhi? read more Members of the media film the inside of a building after it was hit by India's Operation Sindoor strike in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Reuters Under the dark of night, on May 7, India executed Operation Sindoor — a series of non-escalatory, precise and targeted military strikes targeting terrorist training camps at nine different locations within Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. In the aftermath, the Indian military published satellite images reflecting the damage and destruction it had wreaked on the terror pads. However, almost two months later, it seems terrorism is rearing its ugly head once again at the targeted strikes; authorities at the Jaish-e-Mohammed's Jama-e-Masjid Subhan Allah seminary, Bahawalpur have announced that they have reopened the swimming pool in the madrassa. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jaish reopens Bahawalpur terror base A report by The Print reveals that after India's strikes at the terror camp in Bahawalpur, the Jaish-e-Mohammed has restarted the madrassa there with 600 students resuming regular activities. A senior Indian government official reacting to the news of the pool being reopened told The Print, 'Even though reopening a swimming pool might sound like a small thing, it is a big draw for poor children in the Bahawalpur area who form the base from which the Jaish recruits its cadre. It is also a signal that the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate has no intention of shutting down terror-linked groups, despite the war.' Notably, this is the same swimming pool that Jaish terrorists have used in the past. Four members of the group — Muhammad Umar Farooq, Talha Rasheed Alvi, Muhammad Ismail Alvi, and Rasheed Billa — that planned the Pulwama convoy attack in 2019 in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers died were photographed using this very same swimming pool before leaving for Kashmir. It is reported that the Jaish terrorists use this swimming pool for training and have to pass a swimming test before getting recruited by the terror outfit. Jaish shows no signs of retreating The reopening of the terror camp at Bahawalpur is just one indicator that the Jaish-e-Mohammed is showing no signs of shutting shop and is expected to continue its terror activities aimed at India. In fact, as hostilities between India and Pakistan increased following the May 7 strikes, the JeM leadership became increasingly vocal against India, vowing vengeance. The infamous Masood Azhar , chief of the JeM, released audio recordings of his speeches — including one vowing to destroy the Ayodhya Ram Mandir in India — and claimed the group funded funeral rites for his family members killed in the strike, including his sister, her husband, a nephew and his wife, a niece, and five children. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD An investigation also revealed that in the days after Operation Sindoor, the terror group began flooding social media with jihad propaganda, glorifying slain terrorists, and openly recruiting youth via WhatsApp and Telegram. Moreover, Facebook pages emerged with fiery speeches of its chief, Masood Azhar, and hoardings emerged in Bahawalpur calling for 'remembrance rallies'. India strikes Bahawalpur terror camp hard When India launched Operation Sindoor , it targeted terror camps across nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). One of the main sites it targeted was the Markaz Subhan Allah camp in Pakistan's Bahawalpur situated on NH-5 (Karachi-Torkham Highway). But why did India choose this site in Bahawalpur ? This is because the madrassa here serves as the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammed. Operational since 2015, it is spread over 15 acres and serves as JeM's hub for recruitment, fundraising, and indoctrination. Intel reveals that the facility features a central mosque, a madrassa for over 600 students, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, and stables. A view of the post-strike visual at Bahawalpur that reveals gaping holes in the mosque's dome, widespread debris, and collapsed buildings. Maxar Technologies/Reuters In fact, this madrassa was the very same location where the February 14, 2019 Pulwama terror attack was planned. Additionally, it is believed that Masood Azhar and other important JeM functionaries such as Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, and Maulana Ammar also reside here. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Notably, after the 2019 Pulwama crisis, Pakistan announced that it had taken control of the madrassa in Bahawalpur to manage its affairs. Days after the declaration, Bahawalpur Deputy Commissioner Shozeb Saeed had told journalists that it was just a 'routine seminary, having no links with the Jaish-e-Mohammed'. 'Some 600 students are studying here, and none of them is associated with any banned organisation or involved in any terror activity,' he was quoted as saying by a report in The Print. In the May 7 strikes, the Bahawalpur camp was struck hard, said government sources, who further added that the most potent weapons were used. And following the strikes, satellite imagery revealed the extent of the damage that India had caused to the camp in Bahawalpur. The before- and after satellite images show significant damage. In fact, visuals revealed gaping holes in the mosque's dome, widespread debris, and collapsed buildings. Not just Jaish — other terror camps reopening And the reopening of the Bahawalpur terror camp isn't an isolated incident. An NDTV report reveals Pakistan has begun rebuilding terrorist launchpads and training camps, reportedly backed by the Pakistani military, its intelligence agency ISI, and the interim government. The report reveals that Islamabad is setting up small, high-tech terror facilities in forested areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to evade Indian surveillance and future strikes. These facilities are being equipped with technologies designed to mask thermal, radar, and satellite signatures. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
JeM reopens pool at Bahawalpur terror base two months after Operation Sindoor strikes
Jaish-e-Mohammed's (JeM) Jama-e-Masjid Subhan Allah seminary in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, which was targeted during Operation Sindoor, has reopened its on-campus swimming pool for classes. Markaz Subhan Allah is located at NH-5 (Karachi- Torkham Highway) on the outskirts of Bahawalpur at Karachi Mor. The resumption of classes comes nearly two months after the Indian Air Force struck the JeM's headquarters in the Punjab province on May 7 in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack. Around 600 students who study at the seminary have resumed their regular activities. The move also suggests that the JeM is not trying to shut down the operations even after the attacks during Operation Sindoor, The Print reported. Read More: Why India zeroed in on hubs of terror The complex has served as a hub for terror indoctrination and training, including regular weapons handling, physical drills, and religious instruction for recruits. Four JeM terrorists - Muhammad Umar Farooq, Talha Rasheed Alvi, Muhammad Ismail Alvi, and Rasheed Billa - who were involved in the 2019 Pahalgam terror attack, were photographed at the pool before heading to Kashmir. An Indian government official said that though the reopening of the pool might be a minor development, it attracts poor children from around the area who later become the recruits for the terrorist organisation, the report said. "It is also a signal that the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate has no intention of shutting down terror-linked groups, despite the war," the official reportedly said. Read More: Operation Sindoor: Satellite images show damage at terror site in Pakistan's Bahawalpur The JeM leadership has become increasingly public ever since tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of Operation Sindoor, with JeM's chief Masood Azhar vowing in his speeches to destroy the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. All about Jama-e-Masjid Subhan Allah seminary Markaz Subhan Allah, functioning since 2015, serves as the operational headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammed and is the main centre of the JeM for training and indoctrination. It was also associated with the JeM's planning that led to the 2019 Pulwama attack. The seminary comprises residences of JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, de-facto chief Mufti Abdul Rauf Asghar, Maulana Ammar and other family members of Masood Azhar. During Operation Sindoor, the Jaish-e-Mohammed's stronghold was targeted in the Indian strikes, with visuals from the site later showing heaps of debris lying all around. The Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah Seminary was among the nine terror camps targeted during the operation, with the security officials saying that over 80 terrorists were killed in the strikes. The Bahawalpur seminary was later closed after the Indian strikes on May 7.
Express Tribune
30-04-2025
- Climate
- Express Tribune
Water crisis looms as dam levels drop
A view of Khanpur Dam, which is a major source of drinking and irrigation water (right). PHOTOS: MUHAMMAD SADAQAT/FILE The water levels in all three major dams supplying water to the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad — Rawal, Simly, and Khanpur — are dropping rapidly due to significantly reduced rainfall this year. The alarming decline is further exacerbated by a prolonged dry spell, which has also caused a steep fall in the groundwater table. In Rawalpindi, the water table has fallen below 700 feet, leading to a severe water shortage across the city. A water rationing plan has been prepared for implementation in the second half of May. The onset of the water crisis has led to a boom in the private water tanker business. According to the National Drought Monitoring and Early Warning Centre (NDM&EWC) in Islamabad, Rawal Dam has a storage capacity of 1,752 feet and a dead level of 1,708 feet. Its current water level is at 1,741.10 feet and continues to decline. Simly Dam, which supplies water exclusively to Islamabad, has a capacity of 2,315 feet and a dead level of 2,233 feet, with the current level at 2,263.80 feet. Khanpur Dam, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Abbottabad District, has a capacity of 1,982 feet and a dead level of 1,910 feet; its current level is at 1,937.58 feet. There is currently enough water in the dams to meet the twin cities' needs for 40 to 45 days. If heavy rainfall does not occur within the next 10 to 15 days, water levels are expected to fall drastically, also due to evaporation under intense heat. Cattle herders have resumed bathing their buffaloes in Rawal Dam due to the drop in water levels. WASA spokesperson and Director Muhammad Umar Farooq confirmed the water shortage caused by reduced rainfall. The Water and Sanitation Agency has implemented a "Water Control Plan" to manage the situation. This includes crackdowns on water theft and defaulters of water bills, and bans on using water from pipelines for gardens, driveways, or washing cars. Car wash stations are being required to install water recycling systems. WASA operates 500 tube wells, most of which date back to the 1990s and have shallow depths, making them prone to drying out. Load has increased on the newer tube wells, with some now operating for extended hours. Free water delivery through tankers is being provided in affected areas, though private water tanker requests carry a fee. The Chahan Dam Water Supply Scheme is progressing slowly, but its completion is expected to significantly improve supply. Officials emphasise that with changing climate patterns, tube wells are no longer a viable long-term solution - dam water is essential. If implemented, the Ghazi Barotha Project could address the water shortage in Rawalpindi and Islamabad for the next 100 years.
Express Tribune
31-03-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
Pindi devises plan for water, sewerage services on Eid
The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has devised a plan to ensure uninterrupted water supply and sewerage services during Eidul Fitr. Field staff will remain on duty throughout the holiday period. WASA Managing Director Muhammad Saleem Ashraf stated in a meeting that all necessary measures have been taken to ensure the continuous supply of clean drinking water and to address any complaints regarding water and sewerage services promptly. Senior officials, including Director Admin Muhammad Umar Farooq and Director Engineering Azizullah Khan, attended the meeting. MD Ashraf also instructed the sewerage staff to inspect key mosques and Eidgahs during Eid to ensure sewer lines are clear and manholes are properly covered. Field staff have been assigned duties accordingly. For emergency situations, WASA has appointed focal persons for water supply and sewerage management.
