Masood Azhar’s Brother Mohammad Tahir Anwar Dies in Pakistan

Mohammad Tahir Anwar, elder brother of Masood Azhar, has died in Pakistan under unclear circumstances, according to statements attributed to the banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The group’s official channel said Anwar’s funeral was scheduled at Jamia Masjid Usman Wali in Bahawalpur on Monday. The exact cause of death has not been disclosed.

Anwar was one of Azhar’s brothers and was reportedly associated with the activities of Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Masood Azhar had last year claimed that several members of his family were killed during India’s targeted airstrikes under Operation Sindoor, carried out in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

A statement attributed to Azhar said those killed in the strike on the group’s headquarters in Bahawalpur included multiple family members and associates.

“Ten members of my family were blessed with this happiness together tonight... five are innocent children, my elder sister, her honourable husband. My scholar Fazil bhanje (nephew) and his wife and my beloved scholar Fazilah (niece)... my dear brother Huzaifah and his mother. Two more dear companions,” he said.

He added, “I have neither regret nor despair. Rather, it comes to my heart again and again that I too would have joined this fourteen-member happy caravan.”

Masood Azhar, who was arrested in India in 1994 and released after the Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijacking, is listed as an international terrorist by the UN Security Council.

He has been linked to multiple terror attacks in India, including the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Pathankot attack, and the Pulwama attack.