Jaish Chief Masood Azhar’s Audio Surfaces, Claims ‘Thousands’ of Suicide Bombers

Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) has once again attempted to project strength through propaganda, with an audio message purportedly in the voice of its chief Maulana Masood Azhar circulating on social media.

In the message, Azhar makes dramatic claims about the outfit’s fighting strength, asserting that it has “thousands” of suicide bombers ready to carry out attacks.

The authenticity and exact date of the audio, however, could not be independently verified, raising questions over its credibility. Security observers say the message appears aimed more at psychological impact and internal morale-building than as a serious operational threat.

In the audio, Azhar is heard boasting about the size of his cadre, saying they are not “one, two or a hundred, not even a thousand”, and claiming that revealing their true number would shock global media. He adds that these recruits are not motivated by money, travel or personal benefits, but seek only “shahadat”, or martyrdom.

Despite the aggressive tone, the message has been widely viewed as a desperate rant rather than a sign of renewed strength. Its timing is notable, coming months after Indian armed forces carried out targeted strikes on Jaish infrastructure inside Pakistan, including the group’s key base in Bahawalpur.

Those strikes dealt a severe blow to the outfit. Several of Azhar’s close relatives were reportedly killed when the Bahawalpur complex, including the Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah, was heavily damaged. Around ten members of his extended family ,including his sister, her husband, a nephew, a niece and children,  were among those who died. Multiple senior aides of the outfit were also eliminated in the pre-dawn operation.

In September last year, Jaish indirectly acknowledged these losses for the first time. A senior commander of the outfit admitted in a video statement that members of Azhar’s family were killed during India’s strike under Operation Sindoor, which was launched in retaliation to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead.

Masood Azhar himself has not been seen in public since 2019. That year, his hideout in Bahawalpur was hit by a powerful blast by unidentified attackers, which he survived. Since then, he has largely vanished from public view, fuelling speculation about his health and location.

A UN-designated terrorist, Azhar is considered the mastermind behind some of the deadliest terror attacks in India, including the 2016 Pathankot airbase attack and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing, which killed 44 CRPF personnel. Recent intelligence assessments suggest he may no longer be operating from Bahawalpur and could be hiding in remote or Pakistan-occupied regions.

Security analysts believe the latest audio message reflects the weakened state of Jaish-e-Mohammed following sustained military and intelligence pressure, rather than any real resurgence. For Indian agencies, the message is being treated as propaganda loud in words, but hollow in substance.

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