Mohammad Tahir Anwar, brother of Masood Azhar, has died in Pakistan, with no clarity yet on the cause of his death, according to sources.
Tahir Anwar was closely associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed and had been active in the outfit’s operations for several years. His death was confirmed through the group’s official channel, which said his funeral would be held late Monday night at Jamia Masjid Usman Wali in Bahawalpur.
There has been no official statement on the cause of death, with no mention of illness or any specific incident so far, raising questions around the circumstances.
Outfit Linked to Major Attacks in India
Jaish-e-Mohammed has been linked to several major terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack, the 2016 Uri attack, and the 2019 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed.
India’s Strikes on JeM Infrastructure
Indian forces have carried out strikes targeting Jaish infrastructure inside Pakistan, including its headquarters in Bahawalpur. In September last year, the outfit had, for the first time, indirectly acknowledged losses from these strikes.
A senior commander admitted that members of Azhar’s family were killed during India’s strike on Bahawalpur under Operation Sindoor. The operation was part of India’s response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead.
The strikes reportedly reduced multiple terror sites to rubble. The Bahawalpur facility, Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah, suffered extensive damage, with around 10 of Azhar’s relatives among those killed, including his sister, her husband, a nephew, a niece and other extended family members. Several of his aides were also killed in the attack.
