Terror groups emerged as unlikely fact-checkers against the Pakistan government this week — with members of both Jaish-e-Mohamad and Lashkar-e-Taiba admitting to extensive damage during Operation Sindoor. A JeM commander confirmed recently that the family of group chief Masood Azhar were “torn into pieces” during the May 7 strike in Bahawalpur. This was followed days later by a viral video of LeT commander Qaasim outlining efforts to rebuild the Muridke terror camp. The Shehbaz Sharif administration has repeatedly denied claims of Indian attacks against terror infrastructure in both areas.
“I am standing on the ruins of Markaz Taiba in Muridke, which was destroyed in the (Indian) attack. The process of rebuilding it is underway. With god’s grace, this mosque will be built bigger than before…We will be rebuilding it and making it even bigger… From here, big names in Mujahideen got trained here and achieved Faiz (Victory),” Qaasim can be seen saying in the video.
The now-viral clip shows the LeT commander standing amidst the rubble of the destroyed camp as he vows to rebuild. Pakistan had previously claimed that the destroyed Markaz Taiba building in Muridke was no longer being used by LeT — describing it as an educational and religious center under state control since 2019.
Top Jaish commander admits to losses
The video comes mere days after top Jaish-e-Mohammads commander Masood Ilyas Kashmiri confirmed the severe impact of the strike in Bahawalpur. Several family members of group chief Maulana Masood Azhar, were killed during Operation Sindoor. Azhar had previously admitted that 10 members of his family and four close associates were killed in an Indian missile strike on the group’s headquarters in Bahawalpur.
India “flattened” terrorist camps “in one stroke”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also lauded the Indian Armed Forces for “flattening” terrorist camps that had previously been considered “untouchable”. Remarks delivered days after the attack had also dubbed the bases in Bahawalpur and Muridke as “universities of global terrorism”. He added that most of the major terror attacks in the world had roots that “somehow connected to these terrorist hideouts”.
“When India’s missiles and drones attacked terrorist bases in Pakistan, not only the buildings of terrorist organizations but their courage also was shaken badly…More than 100 dreaded terrorists have been killed in these attacks by India. Many terrorist leaders were roaming freely in Pakistan for the last two and a half to three decades who used to conspire against India. India killed them in one stroke,” he told the Lok Sabha in June.