As India confirms the success of Operation Sindoor—a calculated cross-border strike targeting Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camps—official records spanning decades shed new light on the longstanding threat posed by its chief, Masood Azhar. The Indian Army’s action, a direct response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, struck multiple terror facilities including Jaish’s key training base in Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

The strike eliminated ten of Azhar’s family members and four of his close associates, including high-ranking operatives. But for Indian authorities, Azhar has been a symbol of cross-border terrorism for decades.

1999: Kandahar hijack and Azhar’s forced release

Official records from 1999 recall the dramatic hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight on December 24. Hijackers diverted the plane from its Kathmandu-Delhi route and took it to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Their key demand: the release of Masood Azhar.

Far from being merely an "Islamic cleric" as foreign outlets then described, Azhar was identified in Indian files as the General Secretary and ideologue of Harakat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM), a Pakistan-based militant group already designated a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the US State Department. Azhar had entered India illegally in January 1994 with a false passport and was jailed for terrorist activities.

The hijacking incident was not the first attempt to secure his release. Government documents note previous kidnappings of foreign tourists—including Britons and Americans—in Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi between 1994 and 1995. One victim was reportedly beheaded, others remained missing. The 1999 hijack, however, succeeded in securing Azhar’s release.

2016: Pathankot attack and a growing dossier

By 2016, Azhar’s reach and operational capability had only grown. A National Investigation Agency (NIA) document linked him directly to the Pathankot Air Force base attack, describing him as the mastermind behind the infiltration by JeM militants.

Eight Indians were killed, 38 injured, and multiple charges were filed against Azhar under Indian Penal Code, Arms Act, Explosives Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. An Interpol Red Notice was issued in April 2016 for his arrest and extradition, citing offences including murder, conspiracy, and waging war against the Government of India.

The dossier called for his location, arrest, and extradition, asserting there was no expiry for the legal action sought.

2019: Official designation under Indian anti-terror law

In 2019, the Government of India took a significant step by officially designating Masood Azhar as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The move placed his name in the Fourth Schedule of the law, underscoring his role as a threat to national security.

This domestic designation came in the same year the United Nations Security Council listed Azhar as a "global terrorist", a label that followed years of Indian diplomatic push and international scrutiny after multiple terror strikes linked to his group.

Operation Sindoor: Culmination of a decades-old pursuit

Azhar, who was reportedly present at the targeted training base in Bahawalpur during Operation Sindoor, confirmed the death of his relatives and aides in the Indian Army’s precision strike. The base, Markaz Subhan Allah, was described as a 15-acre nerve centre for JeM's operations, housing its de facto leaders and operatives.

The Indian Army’s carefully calibrated strike deliberately avoided Pakistani military assets and focused solely on terror camps. Government sources reiterated that it was a targeted response to the Pahalgam killings