Jaish commander claims Asim Munir called response to Operation Sindoor as ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’

Munir called Pak's response to Op Sindoor 'Ghazwa-e-Hind', Jaish commander claims

A senior commander of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed that Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir projected Islamabad’s military response to India’s Operation Sindoor as “Ghazwa-e-Hind”, an extremist concept linked to violent jihad and the imposiaction of Islamic rule under Sharia.

The allegation was made by Jaish commander Ilyas Kashmiri during a speech delivered on February 5 at a gathering of militants in Rawalkot, in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. According to reports, the event was attended by newly recruited cadres of the outfit.

Recalling the period following India’s launch of Operation Sindoor, Kashmiri told the audience that Pakistan’s military leadership had portrayed the confrontation with India as a religious war. He claimed that the conflict was formally framed in jihadist terms by the country’s top military command.

“When the fighting began, weapons were drawn, fighter jets confronted each other, tanks came face to face, and the commander announced that this was Ghazwat-ul-Hind, this was Bunyan al-Marsoos," Kashmiri said, according to a recording of the speech.

He went on to reiterate Jaish-e-Mohammed’s ideological position, asserting that jihad remained the group’s core objective irrespective of political backing from the Pakistani state.

“Our name, our identity and our motto is jihad. Whether the government supported us or not, jihad remained our path. Jihad is our objective, and we will continue it to ‘liberate’ Kashmir," he said.

Security analysts view the Rawalkot address as part of a broader pattern of public statements by leaders of Pakistan-based terror groups linking state institutions to extremist narratives.

In recent months, several such figures have openly glorified jihad and framed tensions with India in religious terms at public gatherings inside Pakistan, often before large audiences.

India has consistently maintained that these public displays, including the visible presence of armed cadres at rallies and funerals, highlight the support ecosystem available to UN-designated terrorist organisations operating from Pakistani soil.

Operation Sindoor was launched by India in May 2025 following the April Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed. The Indian government has said the operation targeted terror infrastructure, including training camps, launch pads and command centres in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, describing the strikes as precise and proportionate measures aimed at dismantling terror networks responsible for attacks on Indian soil.