NEW DELHI: The Indian armed forces’ missile strikes on Wednesday targeted nine high-value terror facilities across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), with two key locations—Lashkar-e-Taiba’s base in Muridke and Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur—standing out as the most significant. These sites, long shielded by Pakistan’s military and intelligence establishment, had operated with virtual impunity for decades.
Located deep in Pakistan’s Punjab province, a region considered the nerve center of the country’s military-intelligence complex, the two terror strongholds were heavily fortified and ideologically driven by hardline Ahl-e-Hadith and Deobandi teachings. That changed early Wednesday when India’s Army and Air Force launched precision strikes as part of ‘Operation Sindoor.’
The sprawling 15-acre Markaz in Bahawalpur served as Jaish-e-Mohammed’s principal training and indoctrination hub. It was here that JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar resurfaced on November 30, 2024, after nearly two years in hiding under pressure from international agencies. During his public appearance, Azhar reignited his anti-India rhetoric, vowing revenge for the Ram Mandir's construction in Ayodhya—an event he cited as an affront to Islam.
His rally was attended by prominent figures in the JeM hierarchy, including his brother Maulana Talha Saif and his son Mohammad Abdullah Bin Masood. Intelligence agencies attribute at least a dozen major terror plots—including the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing—to the Bahawalpur facility.
India had previously struck a major blow to Jaish in 2019 with the Balakot airstrikes. Though initially shaken, JeM quickly regrouped, using the Bahawalpur base to continue its activities. The complex, situated along the strategic NH-5 (Karachi-Torkham Highway), reportedly housed over 600 cadres and included a gymnasium, swimming pool for underwater training, and even stables—facilities allegedly developed with help from both Pakistan’s provincial and federal governments.
Equally significant was the Markaz Taiba in Muridke—Lashkar-e-Taiba’s main operational headquarters. Located in Nangal Sahdan, the 82-acre compound included a madrassa, market, housing for operatives, sports facilities, a fish farm, and agricultural fields. The site functioned as a self-sustaining ecosystem for training and radicalization.
Muridke has also been linked to global jihadist networks. Osama bin Laden himself is said to have donated PKR 10 million for the construction of a mosque and guest house within the complex. This facility trained the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, including Ajmal Kasab, and was visited by David Coleman Headley during reconnaissance missions. Each year, around 1,000 students reportedly enroll in various extremist courses at Markaz Taiba.
Another major target was the Syedna Bilal Markaz in Muzaffarabad, PoK—a key transit facility for JeM terrorists en route to Jammu and Kashmir. The compound typically housed 50–100 fighters and hosted special training sessions conducted by Pakistan’s elite Special Services Group (SSG). The site is overseen by JeM commander Mufti Asghar Khan Kashmiri and is also known for operating tunnel networks used for cross-border infiltration.
Additional Indian strikes targeted:
- Sarjal and Tehra Kalan in Pakistan’s Punjab, key JeM launchpads disguised as health centers, facilitating tunnel construction and drone-based arms smuggling.
- Mehmoona Joya, a Hizbul Mujahideen facility hidden within a health unit in Sialkot, used for weapons training and infiltration operations under handler Irfan Tanda.
- Barnala camp in PoK, an LeT-run training center under the Ahle Hadith banner, with capacity for 100–150 fighters—destroyed entirely in the strike.
- Markaz Abbas in Kotli (PoK), led by NIA-wanted terrorist Qari Zarar, was instrumental in planning attacks and coordinating movement into the Poonch and Rajouri sectors.
- Markaz Raheel Shahid, also in Kotli, was operated by Hizbul Mujahideen and specialized in Border Action Team (BAT) tactics and sniper training.
