JeM’s HQ in Bahawalpur made it a prized target
Among the nine places in Pakistan that were hit during the intervening night of May 6-7 in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack, Bahawalpur stands out for more than one reason.
As part of Operation Sindoor, other targets reportedly include Muridke near Lahore, Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Gulpur, Bhimber, Bagh, Chak Amru, and Sialkot. This is for the first time since the 1971 Indo-Pak war that places outside POK have been hit.
Located in central Pakistan, Bahawalpur is outside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The surgical strikes of 2016 across the Line of Control in response to the Uri attack and the airstrikes on terror camps at Balakot in response to the Pulwama attack in 2019 were directed at targets within PoK.
Bahawalpur is the headquarters of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a Pakistan-based terrorist group active in Kashmir and believed to be responsible for the Pahalgam massacre. It is also said to have been involved in numerous other terror-related incidents, including the attack on Parliament in 2001, the attack on Pathankot airbase in 2016 and the Pulwama incident.
JeM was created in 2000 by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) with the intention to carry out terrorist activities against India as part of its state policy. Maulana Masood Azhar, imprisoned in India on terror-related charges and released along with two others in exchange for passengers of an Indian Airlines aircraft hijacked to Afghanistan in 1999, was made its head.
Originally operating from training camps in Afghanistan with the other terrorist groups, it relocated to Balakot after the fall of the Taliban and then moved to Peshawar and Muzaffarabad in PoK.
By 2009, it formed a new headquarters in Bahawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province, called Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah complex and also referred to as the Usman-o-Ali campus. According to reports, it is spread over 18 acres and includes a mosque, a madrassa and a walled complex that serves as a recruitment and training facility for its cadres.
Bahawalpur was also said to be a center for rest and recuperation for those fighting in Afghanistan during the US military presence in that country as it was away from areas targeted by America with drones and missiles. It is also close to the bases of several other terrorist groups with which JeM is believed to have a close association. The Lashkar-e-Toiba, another major terrorist group operating in Kashmir also has a strong presence in Bahawalpur, though its headquarters are reported to be in Muridke.
The complex belonging to JeM is believed to have been hit by India. Videos of the strike emerging on social media show a large blast and a resultant fireball in an urban area during night.
From the strategic point of view, Bahawalpur, which is about located 130 km from the Indo-Pak border, is an important military centre because it houses the headquarters of Pakistan’s 31 Corps along with several other major formations.
The Corps is responsible for defensive operations in Pakistan’s southern Punjab and northern Sind areas, opposite the Jaiselmer-Fazilka axis. On its reported order of battle (ORBAT) are the Bahawalpur-based 26 Mechanised Division, which gives it offensive capability, 35 Infantry Division, also at Bahawalpur, 14 Infantry Division at Okara to the north and independent infantry, armoured, artillery and engineer brigades.
Analysis of commercial satellite photos by defence experts have suggested that Bahawalpur is among several bases that may house secret facilities for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. At least five bases might serve a role in Pakistan’s emerging nuclear posture. This includes army garrisons at Akro (Petaro), Gujranwala, Khuzdar, Pano Aqil, and Sargodha. A sixth base at Bahawalpur may be under construction
The 12th largest city in Pakistan that was founded in 1748, it is also associated with the Second Sikh War of 1848, and the two World Wars for providing forces and resources to the British. It also has a rich cultural heritage and presently has an economy largely based on agriculture and handicrafts.
India