JAMMU: Abdul Rauf Azhar, a globally designated terrorist and the mastermind of the IC-814 Air India flight hijacking, was killed in Indian Armed Forces missile strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan's Punjab and PoK under 'Operation Sindoor' on Wednesday sources said.

Azhar was the supreme commander of Jaish-e-Mohammad, the terror outfit founded by his brother and another water terrorist Masood Azhar. He was among the most wanted terrorists by India for his roles in terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

10 family members of Masood Azhar were killed in the Indian strikes on JeM's headquarters in Pakistan's Bahawalpur, while Azhar was among those critically injured until Wednesday. He reportedly succumbed to injuries later.

In Pakistan's Punjab province, the Indian armed forces conducted strikes in Bahawalpur and Muridke, targeting and destroying the headquarters of Jaish and Lashkar, two terror groups responsible for years of bloodshed and attacks on Indian soil.