Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter, is pictured during his career. Born in 1963 in New Jersey to Israeli-American and Iraqi-Jewish parents, Pearl grew up in Los Angeles and later graduated from Stanford University with honors. He wrote for student and local newspapers before joining The Wall Street Journal. By 2002, he was the Journal’s South Asia bureau chief, based in Mumbai, covering South Asia and the Middle East. Married to French journalist Mariane van Neyenhoff Pearl (born 23 July 1967), with whom he had a young son, Pearl became known as an inquisitive reporter interested in the roots of terrorism and the conflicts of the region.
Pearl travelled widely in South Asia, learning languages and gaining sources. In late 2001 and early 2002, he was reporting on Islamist militants and their links to extremist groups. He was preparing interviews and research when tragedy struck.
Kidnapping and Murder in Karachi
In January 2002, Pearl went to Karachi, Pakistan, for what he believed was an interview with a local cleric. On January 23, a group of militants abducted him outside a hotel. The captors, tied to jihadist groups including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), accused him of being a spy. In emails and videos, they demanded that the U.S. release all Muslim prisoners from Guantanamo Bay and halt arms shipments to Pakistan. A few days later, the kidnappers released graphic evidence that Pearl was captive: photos of him blindfolded with a gun to his head, holding a newspaper as proof of life.
Pearl’s family, friends, and news organizations made repeated pleas for his release, but they went unanswered. On February 1, 2002, exactly nine days after his abduction, Pearl was brutally murdered. In the propaganda video of the killing, Pearl – who was Jewish – is forced to declare “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish” before his throat is slit. This final recording was circulated by the captors, who identified themselves under the name “National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty” (a pseudonym of Jaish-e-Mohammed) and re-stated their demands.
The 38-year-old journalist’s disappearance and murder sent shockwaves around the world. Pearl’s remains were found months later. Pakistani authorities arrested a British-born militant, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was convicted of murder in 2002. (His conviction was controversially overturned by a Pakistani court in 2020, and he was released in 2021.) Sheikh had been freed in late 1999 by India only because of the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 – an incident orchestrated by Rauf Azhar, the brother of JeM leader Masood Azhar. In other words, a chain of terror connected a 1999 plane hijacking, Pearl’s 2002 beheading, and a deadly 2025 attack in Kashmir.
Pearl’s death drew condemnation worldwide. He was remembered as a committed reporter and by many as a symbol of the dangers journalists face. His father, Judea Pearl, and his widow have since worked tirelessly for justice and a foundation in his name, promoting tolerance and friendship. Over the years, memorials and awards (such as the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism) have kept his story in the public eye.
Operation Sindoor: India’s Strike on Terror Camps
On April 22, 2025, militants attacked on non-Muslim tourists by five armed militants in Pahalgam, in the Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 innocent civilians. The militants mainly targeted Hindu tourists, though a Christian tourist and a local Muslim were also killed in the attack. India’s government vowed a forceful response. On May 7, 2025, in “Operation Sindoor,” the Indian Air Force launched precision strikes on nine terror camp sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. (India said the raids were carried out after Pakistani-occupied territory was used to plan and launch cross-border attacks.) Among the targets was Bahawalpur’s “Markaz Subhan Allah,” the well-known headquarters of JeM. This complex was described as the indoctrination and command center of the banned militant group.
Citing intelligence reports, Indian officials and media said the strikes killed “close to 100 terrorists” across all sites. Local sources and social media postings (including by India’s ruling BJP party) claimed that Abdul Rauf Azhar, the 56-year-old Jaish commander, was among those killed at Bahawalpur. Azhar’s family members, reportedly including his sister and brother-in-law, were also said to have died in the strike. The Pakistani government did not immediately confirm who was hit, though Jaish leader Masood Azhar himself issued a statement mourning several family deaths in Bahawalpur.
Indian officials briefed Parliament the next day, saying the operation “precise strikes carried out on 9 terror hideouts, close to 100 terrorists killed, counting still underway.” They emphasized that India had “no wish to escalate” the situation but “won’t back down if Pakistan acts”. A government spokesman also stressed that the strikes were “not targeted at any nation or community, but solely against those responsible for crimes against humanity,” noting that the action “resonates with the broader global fight against terrorism”.
Rauf Azhar: The Mastermind Targeted
Abdul Rauf Azhar was long viewed by Indian authorities as a key terrorist leader. In 1999, at age 24, he famously masterminded the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 in Kandahar. The hijackers flew the plane to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and India ultimately freed Jaish founder Masood Azhar (Rauf’s brother) and two others in exchange for the passengers. This catapulted Rauf Azhar to prominence in Jaish-e-Mohammed. He then became the group’s operational head and is believed to have helped plan many major attacks on Indian soil over two decades, including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai siege, the 2016 Pathankot airbase assault, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing.
Importantly, analysts note a direct link between Rauf Azhar and Pearl’s death. By securing the release of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh in the IC-814 deal, Rauf Azhar helped set the stage for Sheikh’s later operation to abduct and murder Daniel Pearl. The Economic Times wrote that Azhar was “a central figure in both the IC-814 hijacking and Pearl’s 2002 murder”. In turn, many observers have argued that eliminating Rauf Azhar could be seen as avenging Pearl’s killing.
“This action delivered long-overdue justice,” said American journalist Amy Mek (former Washington editor of The Forward), referring to Operation Sindoor. “Today, India delivered justice for the brutal murder of American-Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl by eliminating Abdul Rauf Azhar… Operation Sindoor struck at the heart of terror, hitting Jaish-e-Mohammed strongholds.” She added, “To India, we say THANK YOU… The West must learn from India’s stance on Islamic terror”.
International Reactions
Reports of Operation Sindoor drew rare international support for India’s actions. In the United States, Congress member Shri Thanedar stated: “Terrorism cannot be tolerated and it cannot go unpunished. India has the right to defend its people.”. Britain’s government publicly condemned the temple attack in Kashmir and backed India’s right to defend itself, and high-profile British politicians echoed support for striking “vile terrorist infrastructure.” France’s foreign ministry issued a statement: “France supports India in its fight against terrorist groups.” Similarly, Israel’s ambassador in New Delhi remarked: “Terrorists should know there is no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent.”. Even leaders in smaller states, such as Panama, voiced solidarity with India’s stance against terrorism.
Domestically, Indian leaders and parties hailed the operation. The ruling BJP’s official social media account posted Rauf Azhar’s photo with the caption “eliminated,” a move that many in India saw as symbolic justice for Pearl and other terror victims. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed parliament, and senior officials emphasized that the strikes were carefully calibrated. They repeatedly stressed that India did not seek war but would act decisively to protect its citizens.
Pakistan’s government strongly condemned the strikes as a violation of sovereignty, calling it an “unprovoked aggression.” (Pakistan announced it would lodge a formal protest with the United Nations.) Pakistani media and opposition also characterized the strikes as a dangerous escalation. Thus, while the international community largely supported India’s intention to fight terrorism, concerns of a broader India-Pakistan confrontation were voiced by some analysts.
Significance of Operation Sindoor
Operation Sindoor (the word “sindoor” refers to vermilion powder that Indian married women wear as a symbol of life and commitment) was seen as a watershed moment in India’s counterterrorism policy. By publicly striking across the Line of Control for the first time since 2019 and targeting militants in Pakistan’s heartland, India signaled a more aggressive posture. As one commentary noted, Sindoor was “not just about retaliation” but about “resolution” – the determination that “no terrorist feels safe, and that justice is delivered, no matter how long it takes.”. In this context, Operation Sindoor was portrayed in India as delivering “long-overdue justice” in a case that had “haunted the global conscience” for 23 years.
For the family and colleagues of Daniel Pearl, the news rekindled painful memories but also relief. As Asra Nomani, a former Wall Street Journal colleague, recalled, Pearl had bravely reported on Pakistani militancy. She noted that Pearl even traveled to Bahawalpur in late 2001 “with a notebook and a pen” to interview militants – just months before he was murdered. The Economic Times observed that India’s strikes “not only responded to a fresh act of terror on its soil, but also delivered long-overdue justice” in the Pearl case.
Here's what she said said in her recent tweet:
“Bahawalpur.”
I still have chills in my heart from when I first heard that town’s name in late January 2002. For the 23 years since, I have reported on how Pakistani intelligence and military leaders have used that city — Bahawalpur — in the southern province of Punjab as a base for its homegrown domestic terrorists.
When I heard India bombed training camps in Pakistan this week in Operation Sindoor, in response to a Pakistani terrorist rampage in India’s Kashmir state, I had one city’s name on my lips: Bahawalpur.
Did India bomb Bahawalpur?
It did. I knew then India was striking actual hubs for Pakistan’s homegrown domestic terrorism.
Why do I know?
My friend, WSJ reporter Danny Pearl, went to Bahawalpur in December 2001 with a notebook and a pen. Gen. Pervez Musharraf had just promised he was shutting down Pakistan’s militant groups after a strike by Pakistan’s terrorists against the Parliament in India, and Danny reported on the militant offices in Bahawalpur.
He literally knocked on their doors. Dear Dr. @yudapearl , this story is a window into Danny’s reporting enterprise. And because people will wonder: Danny was no cowboy. This was a calculated low-risk reporting trip because no journalist had been targeted for kidnapping in Pakistan. Around that time, Danny sent me an email: “I’m anxious to go to Afghanistan, but I’m not anxious to die.”
What did Danny learn?
The militant training camps were open for business in Bahawalpur.
On Jan. 23, 2002, Danny left a home I had rented in Karachi, Pakistan, for an interview.
I learned Danny’s fixer, Asif Farooqi, had arranged an interview for Danny through a man named “Arif.” Danny didn’t know it but Arif was the PR man for a militant group, Harkutul Mujahadeen. What was Arif’s hometown? Bahawalpur.
The police launched a manhunt to find Arif in Bahawalpur. We learned Arif’s family faked a funeral for Arif. Police found him trying to board a bus in Muzaffarabad, across the country by Pakistan’s border with Kashmir.
It is another town India said it bombed terrorist training facilities.
Arif had handed Danny off to Omar Sheikh,a British-Pakistani dropout from the London School of Economics, radicalized in the 1990s in London mosques. He went to Pakistan to train in these militant training camps. Then he kidnapped tourists in India. He was caught and jailed but on Dec. 31, 1999, he was traded for hostages in the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814.
Omar Sheikh was freed with Pakistani terrorist leader Masood Azhar, whose family was allegedly killed this week by India’s air strike in Bahawalpur.
Did Pakistan jail Omar Sheikh and Masood Azhar when they returned to Pakistan with a third terrorist, freed from India’s jails?
No. Pakistan’s military and intelligence gave them safe passage. They used them as weapons against India. But in fact these domestic terrorists have waged war against innocents in Pakistan, like civil society activists, Benazir Bhutto, Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, schoolchildren and countless others.
Their extremism has ruined Pakistan, and Pakistanis can’t blame America for creating the mujahideen to fight the Soviets in the 1980s.
Pakistan has had a duty to dismantle those terrorist bases — for even the safety of its own people. What India is doing is a strategic attack on terrorist bases Pakistani military and intelligence should have eliminated but never did in their obsession to take over Kashmir.
You will see parallels in the propaganda messages against India and Israel. Like Hamas, Pakistani terrorists crossed a border to kill. Now, Pakistani propagandists call themselves victims of their “fascist” “colonizer” neighbor.
It’s the Reverse Uno strategy of moral inversion, just like @stoolpresidente got from the Temple student who won’t take responsibility for promoting the “HATE THE JEWS” sign. Don’t fall for it. Nations, communities and people must own up to their extremism, from Bahawalpur to beyond.
After decades in limbo, Pearl’s story now seems closer to an ending. As one analyst wrote, “in this case, after 23 long years, Daniel Pearl’s story may have finally found its ending.”. Whether that ending is legally complete, given questions about Sheikh and others, is uncertain. But for many, Rauf Azhar’s reported death is a stark symbol that those responsible for the journalist’s murder are being held accountable.
In the broader view, Operation Sindoor has underscored India’s uncompromising stance against terrorism, especially cross-border militancy. It also highlighted growing international cooperation (and shared frustration) in confronting militant networks. Officials from the U.S., U.K., France, Israel, and elsewhere have publicly backed India’s right to self-defense and fight terrorist groups. For now, the strikes have temporarily eased India’s longstanding demand for justice in the Pearl case and added momentum to its counterterrorism strategy.
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