In a major blow to cross-border terrorism, the Indian Armed Forces’ May 7 precision strike under Operation Sindoor eliminated Mohammad Yusuf Azhar, the brother-in-law of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, who was also a prime accused in the 1999 IC-814 hijacking case.

According to sources cited by PTI, Yusuf Azhar—also known by aliases such as Ustad Ji, Mohd Salim, and Ghosi Sahab—was a senior JeM operative deeply involved in training militants and coordinating attacks across Jammu & Kashmir. His death came as Indian forces targeted nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Yusuf Azhar’s notoriety stems from his alleged role in the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814, which was en route from Kathmandu to New Delhi in 1999. The flight was diverted to Kandahar, and one passenger, Rupan Katyal, was stabbed and killed before the plane landed in Dubai.

India had long pursued Azhar, securing an Interpol Red Corner Notice (A-565/6-2000) for charges including hijacking, kidnapping, and murder. As reported by ANI, he was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and was fluent in Urdu and Hindi.

In 2002, India included his name in a list of 20 most wanted fugitives handed over to Pakistan, but Islamabad did not act on the request.

A top source quoted by PTI called the strike “a significant operational success that weakens JeM’s leadership and training capability.”