Earlier this week, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri displayed a photograph that showed Pakistan Army’s presence at funeral prayers for those killed in the Indian strikes on the Lashkar-e-Toiba headquarters in Muridke. Videos purportedly showed Abdul Rauf, a US designated terrorist and leader of Falah-i-Insaniyat – a proxy of the LeT/Jamat-ud-Dawa – flanked by Pakistani armymen, while those killed were given state honours.
On May 8, Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar attended the funeral prayers for those killed in the missile strikes at the Markaz Subhanullah in Bahawalpur, Newslaundry has learnt. The namaz-e-janaza, held at the city stadium, was also attended by senior army officials. The JeM and Azhar are both UNSC 1267 designated terrorist entities. Newslaundry could not access a photograph of the ceremony.
Azhar was present only briefly at the funeral, which was held at a stadium secured by cadres of the Jaish-e-Mohammed and packed with local residents. The ceremony was initially scheduled at the Eidgah but was moved to the stadium for security reasons.
Azhar's sister and her husband and four of his nieces died in the strike, and were among the 22 who died at the markaz. The sister was in charge of running the women’s madrassa at the markaz. No others from his immediate family died in the strike. Azhar said he had lost 10 of his relatives in the strike. Azhar’s son and his wife, who had shifted into the markaz after they wed recently, were said to be unhurt. The others who were killed were members of the JeM.
All the coffins were wrapped in the Pakistani national flag, indicating a state funeral. They were sealed, and no one was allowed to view the bodies.
Markaz Subhanullah is located on the Bahawalpur bypass, heading south on the highway from Multan to Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab province. It came up a few years ago and is now fully developed with stables, a swimming pool, training grounds, a mosque and residential buildings.
Women delayed their departure; public access curbed
On the night of May 6, amid growing expectations of an imminent Indian strike and that the markaz might be targeted, Azhar’s son, his wife, and some other relatives were moved back to the Masood family’s main residence in the city. This long-time family home is close to the Osman-o-Ali Markaz, known to be the JeM’s main headquarters. Masood Azhar does not appear to live there.
The women killed in the Subhanullah strike had delayed their departure from the markaz.
Immediately after the strike, the military shut down public access to the section of the N-5 highway from Bahawalpur city heading south towards the bypass. Only a few individuals associated with the markaz were given passes and limited access. Azhar is learnt to have ordered a dozen or so senior JeM cadres to return to the destroyed markaz, and continue to remain there.
Officials who briefed the media in Delhi on May 7 said the markaz was 100 km from the International Boundary. They described it as a training and indoctrination facility of the Jaish-e-Mohammed and not a civilian centre. On Google Maps, Markaz Subhanullah is now listed as “permanently closed”.
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