Operation Sindoor: India Targets Terror Camps Linked to Daniel Pearl’s Murder:

Suspense Crime, Digital Desk : While giving a press briefing on May 9, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri gave the account of Jaish-e-Mohammed in the 2002 killing of journalist Daniel Pearl. He related this history of violence to India's recent military strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan.

Overview of Operation Sindoor

This operation Sindoor is an initiative by the Indian military to dismantle the terror framework in Pakistan as well as Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir. On May 7, Indian military forces executed precision strikes at nine different locations. These included:

1. JeM's headquarter in Bahawalpur
2. Lashkar-e-Taiba's base in Muridke
3. Other locations at Chakarmu, Sialkot, Gulpur, Bhimber, Kotli and two at Muzaffarabad.

It is reported that the Bahawalpur strike resulted in the deaths of 10 relatives of JeM chief Masood Azhar and 4 of his close associates. The BJP claimed that Abdul Rauf Azhar, Masood Azhar’s brother and a significant person in the 1999 IC-814 hijacking was also part of those who died.

The Murder of Daniel Pearl and Samurai's Association with JeM

He was an American citizen working as a journalist for The Wall Street Journal. In early 2002, he went to Pakistan to follow up a story aiming to uncover the relationship between terrorist groups and their sponsors post the 9/11 bombing.

While trying to meet an extremist cleric, Pearl was kidnapped in Karachi on January 23, 2002. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, a British Pakistani militant, had lured Pearl with the promise of securing an interview. Sheikh was a known member of JeM and had been released from Indian custody in 1999.

A group calling itself “National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty” barbarically beheaded pearl and later released the video. They made some demands regarding Guantanamo Bay captives and Pakistani nationals imprisoned in the U.S. which further complicated the matter.

After the murder, Sheikh surrendered to Pakistan’s intelligence operatives before being handed over to police. Mariane, pear’s widow, talked about how it was easy for him to keep on fighting court battles due to his connections with ISI. They later issued the same indictment for the ******* that him too. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, an al-Qaeda bigwig, was later also charged with the murder.

International outrage sparked after shaikh’s release. Pentagon even after a lost of leadership, including state Ramsey showed his concerns strongly. In 2021, the Supreme Court of Pakistan overturned Sheik’s death sentence and swapped it with life in prison. Shaikh had been moved to the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.