JeM Commander Claims Pakistan Army Backed Terror Group, India's Operation Sindoor Targeted Camps

A senior Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander has claimed that Pakistan’s top military leaders, including Army Chief General Asim Munir, gave military honours to relatives of JeM chief Masood Azhar and helped bring the Army closer to jihadi ideology.

The comments came from Maulana Mufti Muhammad Masood Ilyas Kashmiri, a close aide of Azhar, during the 38th Annual Mission Mustafa Conference at Central Eidgah in Garhi Habibullah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Sunday. He urged followers to back jihad and spoke openly about the Pakistan Army’s alleged support for JeM.

India has for years accused Pakistan of protecting and aiding terror groups like JeM. Islamabad has repeatedly denied this, but the latest statement from within JeM is likely to raise fresh questions about Pakistan’s counterterrorism stance.

Operation Sindoor

On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians, most of them tourists. The strike took place in the early hours, targeting deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

According to officials, nine high-value terror launchpads linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen were destroyed. These camps were reportedly major training and planning hubs for attacks against India.

During its first press briefing on May 7, India described the action as “focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” stressing that the operation was a direct response to the Pahalgam massacre.

The fresh claims by JeM’s leadership, along with India’s cross-border strike, underline the continuing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad over terrorism and security.