Rauf Azhar: IC-814 hijack mastermind and terrorist behind Daniel Pearl's beheading reported killed in Op Sindoor

India’s Operation Sindoor has not just avenged the deaths of the 26 people in the Pahalgam attack, but also had a far-reaching impact on the global fight against terrorism. The Indian Armed Forces’ precision strikes on Wednesday reportedly killed Abdul Rauf Azhar, the operational head of Jaish-e-Mohammad and mastermind of the IC-814 hijacking.

Azhar was involved in the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002. Hence, yesterday’s strikes on nine terror hubs in PoK and Pakistan delivered justice to the American-Jewish journalist.

How is Azhar connected to Pearl’s death?

Azhar’s role in orchestrating the 1999 Kandahar hijack facilitated the release of Omar Saeed Sheikh, a key Al-Qaeda operative, who kidnapped and murdered Pearl. The journalist was beheaded in 2002, an execution that shocked the world.

An investigative journalist, Pearl disappeared in Pakistan’s Karachi on January 23, 2002. He was reportedly scheduled to interview a religious leader as part of his research into Islamic extremism.

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He was abducted near a cafe, where terrorists captured him and accused him of being a spy. Identifying themselves as the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty, the group demanded the release of Pakistanis imprisoned by the United States.

Is Rauf Azhar dead?

Reportedly, yes. According to a report by News18, officials have said that precision attacks carried out in Pakistan’s Punjab province killed Azhar.

“Among those reported eliminated is Abdul Rauf Azhar — operational head of Jaishe-Mohammad, mastermind of the IC-814 hijacking, and a central figure in international jihadist networks," the officials said.

In Punjab province, the Indian armed forces launched strikes on Bahawalpur and Muridke, targeting and destroying the headquarters of Jaish and Lashkar — two terrorist groups responsible for years of bloodshed and attacks against India.