New Delhi, May 9 (UNI) Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Friday said that Bahawalpur, the headquarters of the United Nations-proscribed terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and linked to the 2002 killing of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl, had been struck in an air raid, a move he described as a fitting response to the group’s role in fostering terrorism.

"Bahawalpur is the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist group, which is designated by the United Nations. Its leader, Maulana Masood Azhar, is a proscribed individual," Misri told reporters in a special briefing on Operation Sindoor.

The Foreign Secretary said the action was part of a broader response to terrorism emanating from Pakistan. "These are connected individuals, connected institutions. The air strike on the Jaish-e-Mohammed facility in Bahawalpur is a fitting part of the response to this unfortunate and persistent threat," he added.

He further recalled the organisation’s involvement in the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl. "Jaish-e-Mohammed was, in some way, directly or indirectly responsible for his death. The real link is through Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the British-Pakistani jihadi who was once held in India and released in 2000. He was the one who lured Daniel Pearl, which eventually led to his murder," Misri noted.

The Foreign Secretary emphasised that the JeM network, its operatives, and affiliates were part of a larger ecosystem of terror that needs to be dismantled. UNI BDN SSP